I Wanna Hold Your Hand
by nastone
Summary: Steve finds love... But is it the real deal? Steve/OC
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

Commander Steve Mcgarrett was having a really bad day. Being a US Navy SEAL he had had his share of shitty days, but today counted as one of the worst yet. Not only had he been shot at, his friend Chin almost got blown to smithereens, Steve was also singlehandedly responsible for borrowing ten million dollars from the evidence locker, which burned to ashes while he helplessly just stood there.

There was a positive spin on the day since he was able to finally get rid of Victor Hesse, who had become the bane of his existence. Everyday that went by the need to find the man who had killed his father had burned inside him like an acid. Now he could finally come to terms with his fathers death, not that he enjoyed taking the life of a man no matter how evil he were, it was something that was unavoidable. Although, now this new headache with the money would not let him rest easy.

Danno had already chewed him out about it, and he had managed to shut him up so they could enjoy a good Christmas with the team and Grace, but he knew how Danno was. He was like a dog with a bone – a stubborn dog with a bone. So now he needed to get out of the house and go for a drink. They had all enjoyed a great evening at home celebrating with people who he now thought of as his family, but sometimes a guy just needed to be alone so he could brood.

Steve said goodnight to everyone, "G'nite Steve, Merry Christmas" said Grace as she jumped up on him and hugged him enthusiastically. He still hadn't gotten used to how affectionate she was, he was just plain not comfortable around kids, but Grace forced her affections on him and he could not resist.

As he sat on a barstool in a bar that was more nightclub than anything, he wondered how the hell he had landed here? He was so not a nightclub guy, even though he had been to a few over the years. The way he was feeling, it didn't matter whether he was in a honky tonk or an upscale cigar lounge, as long as he was sitting with a freezing bottle of beer in front of him he didn't care. Yeah, the music was a bit too loud but as long as no one bothered him he was cool.

Just as he thought of that, someone bumped into his back making him spill his beer down his chin and onto his shirt. He cursed under his breath which wouldn't have made much of a difference the music was so loud. The mood he was in he was capable of decking the guy who had banged into him. He turned to do just that, but he was lucky he didn't get the chance to. Because the person who had bumped into him was no guy, it was actually a girl.

He scowled at her, just because she was a girl didn't mean he wasn't pissed at her. Although when he looked at her, what really registered was how small she was, probably five foot nothing, on the plump side, dressed in a slinky black dress and high heels that she held in one hand and an unlit cigarette in the other. Her hair was raven black and long with bangs that came into her black eyes, and she looked at him, squinting a little, making him want to laugh. She then steadied herself, puffed up her impressive chest and smiled, showing off a tiny dimple in her left cheek. She raised her smoke to her lips that were painted a rich berry red, "you gotta light?" her voice was not as smokey as she probably wanted it to be, but it was still a little on the husky side, with a hint of sweetness.

_A hint of sweetness?_ Where had that come from? He looked back at the girl and noticed that in spite of being dressed like a party girl with too much make up, she didn't look very comfortable. He had to smile at the way she was holding herself up with the smoke to her lips, "Sorry sweetheart, I don't smoke. And neither should you judging by the fact that you're probably not legal. In fact you shouldn't even be here" Steve said and wondered when he had turned into Danno.

To his surprise the girl didn't protest but let out a breath like she was relieved, turned to him with slightly panicked eyes and said, "Please if you can use that excuse drag me out of here, I cannot stand being in this place". She looked back toward the crowd but he wasn't sure what she was looking for. His first thought was that she was in trouble.

"Are you in some kind of trouble?" he asked pulling her to face him back.

"No God no I'm not in any trouble. I came here with a group of friends and I want to get away. I hate nightclubs" was her reply as she again turned toward the crowd. Just then he noticed a tall blonde woman with legs a mile long walking toward them with a huge grin plastered on her face.

"So you managed to snag his attention, I see" said the blonde to the short brunette, then turned to him, "I'm Natalie, and you are?"

Steve looked at the brunette standing close to him with her eyes closed and mumbling something, "I'm Steve and I'm leaving. Nice meeting you ladies".

"Wait I though you guys hit it off and were leaving together. I came to say goodnight" the blonde looked a bit worse for wear as well. And just as Steve was about to tell her he had every intention of leaving by himself, he looked at the brunette again and she had an expression that did not read as disappointment of being rejected but of being left behind in the club.

So gentleman that he was he said, "Actually we were headed somewhere a little less noisy so we could talk. Goodnight" without further delay he grabbed the brunette's small hand and started walking out the door.

Once they were out and in the parking lot, Steve turned on his baggage that was trailing behind him. "Are you insane?" he almost yelled, for some reason the fact that this girl had walked out with him – a stranger to her, without knowing what kind of person he was, really made him mad. "Are you out of your mind, lady?"

Instead of cowering as he had expected since he had used his best SEAL voice, he was surprised when she rose on tiptoe and looked him into the eyes, or as much as she could, "Do not yell at me dude!" she yelled at him. "You have no right to tell me what I can or cannot do. I needed to get out of there and you helped. Thanks. Now I'm leaving" she turned and marched off toward the main road.

Steve watched as she walked away from him, her plump butt moving under her tight black dress, looking mighty appealing. Her little fists were balled up with her shoes in each hand and her purse under her arm. As he watched her, all Steve could think of was he couldn't let her leave alone and go to wherever she needed to go.

With that thought Steve Mcgarrett started into a slow run, figuring with her short legs he would catch up with her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Sarah had no idea what had possessed her to come to this stupid nightclub, dressed like some hooker. She hated all this pancake make up on her face, it made her skin itch and she was sure she would end up with rash on her face. And to top things off the people she had come with. They were just a pathetic attempt to try and fit in. Natalie was the only one she knew and even though she was an old friend, Sarah didn't really enjoy socializing with her.

Sarah had just moved to Hawaii and she was in need of some company, and she had thought, what the hell, lets just have some fun. So she had bought a new dress that she would have never worn usually and tried to change her look for the night. And then that silly dare from the group of Natalie's friends – hit on a guy. Maybe get a date out of it. Sarah knew she should never have said anything about never having a boyfriend. Saying that was like waving a red rag in front of a bull – the bull being Natalie. She should have anticipated Natalie's reaction.

The two girls had practically grown up together in New York, but they had both taken different paths in life. Natalie was the more glamorous one choosing to become a model, traveling around the world, attending glamorous parties. Sarah on the other hand had chosen the more modest profession of a teacher, and her idea of partying was spending an evening with her close friends at a pub or bar that featured a good live band or going out for a quiet dinner again with her close friends.

Before Natalie had become a model, the two girls had been close, if not inseparable. Intellectually Natalie had never been interested in the same things, while Sarah was a reader, Natalie was not. Even their choice in movies was different. So she should have anticipated the disaster that was this night. Sarah would have preferred to stay at home with a book and a nice bottle of wine listening to her favourite Bob Dylan CD.

As Sarah made her escape from the guy from the club, she felt her embarrassment. It was humiliating to try and pick up a guy, following Natalie's instructions. She had never had a boyfriend although she did go out on quite a few dates, she had never picked up any of them. And they had never been as good-looking or sexy as this guy was.

As she walked away as fast as she could she heard someone running behind her. She turned and saw sexy guy, almost on her. When Nat had picked him as her target she had been shocked. There was no way that she could pick up a guy like that.

First of all he was tall even if he was sitting on a bar stool, second of all he was gorgeous with his dark hair and from what she could tell blue eyes, but who could say it was dark. He would never go for someone like her; chubby and trying to look sexy in a dress that was two sizes too small for her. And she had been right. He had taken one look at her, the expression of scorn adorning his handsome face.

Well he could keep his scorn to himself, since she was not interested in anything. Having not had a boyfriend had given her the ability to be immune to the desperation that some women had.

Just then she felt a hand on her arm, turning her around, "Hey, hey stop". Sarah really hoped Mr. Sexyguy wasn't stalker guy either.

"What do you want now?" asked Sarah as she looked at him, or tried to, he was so tall.

Sexyguy, he had told them his name but she couldn't remember what it was, asked, "I just wanted to know if you had a ride back home?".

"I'll just get a cab, no big deal" she told him, to which he only shook his head, a frown marring his forehead.

"No, that's going to do, come on I'll drop you" Sexyguy presumptuously turned and expected her to follow him, and when she didn't he stopped, turned around and gave her a bored expression, "You coming or not?"

"Not. Considering the fact that I don't know you, and I'm not the kind of girl who just walks off with strange guys" no matter how sexy they are.

Sexyguy, laughed sardonically, "Oh really? You just walked out of the club with me", when Sarah did not budge, he came closer, "Look" he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a wallet, opened it "Lt. Commander Steven McGarrett, U S Navy SEAL, at your service ma'am. So rest assured you will be safe, safer than a cab guaranteed, especially this time of night".

Sarah took his ID from him and looked at the small picture of him next to his stated name and rank. Wow, he was the real deal. "Fine you can drop me home".

Steve drove Sarah in silence, at one point he actually thought she had fallen asleep. But when he looked at her sitting in the passenger seat he found her looking out the window. He looked at her exposed legs and had to admit they were rather shapely if a little short. The skirt had ridden up and she periodically pulled it down as much as it would go.

"So I take it you're not originally from the island?" Steve asked.

To which she gave a small laugh and said, "is it that obvious?"

"Yeah kinda" he laughed with her. He had to admit she had a cute laugh and brought out a small dimple under her mouth.

"Well you would be right. I am originally from The Big Apple. And I came here for my job" she didn't elaborate further.

Steve being the inquisitive guy that he was asked, "And what job is that?"

"I teach grades 10 onwards. English and History" she told him. He just smiled and mumbled that it sounded interesting. "Well, I can bet it's not as interesting or cool as being a SEAL".

Steve laughed at that, "It's definitely safer. Unless it's one of the special case schools". He looked at her and knew instantly she was part of the latter.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I've just started to so I haven't had any extreme cases, but I have heard from some of the teachers about things that happened previously. Scary stuff, but it's something you have to face when one makes this choice", Steve admired her attitude. She was quite relaxed about it, probably because she had not had any bad experiences and he hoped for her sake she never did. As she directed him to her place, he recognized the area as being one of the safer neighborhoods. She had told him earlier that she lived in a share house with another girl and her boyfriend.

They stopped in front of a mid sized bungalow that over looked the beach, much smaller than his but nice enough. Before he could get out and open the door for her, since he was such a gentleman, she had already jumped out, her being so short and the car being a huge SUV.

"Thanks for the lift. And I'm sorry for all the silly flirting and yelling afterwards. I'm just a bit high strung, I assure you this is not me" for some reason Sarah found herself justifying her actions to this stranger.

"Hey don't worry about it. so if you're in any trouble at the school and you need help just give me a call" he handed her a card which stated he was head of a special task force, "Actually let me give you my cell", he quickly wrote it down for her and repeated if she needed any help to call him.

He then jumped back in his SUV, waited till she was safely inside the house and then left.

Sarah looked down at the card, re read his name and felt a funny feeling inside, kind of gooey. Just then Jack, her roommate's boyfriend walked toward the kitchen mumbling that she was back early. Sarah chucked her keys and the card on the hall table and headed to join her roommate's in the living room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Looked like everyday was turning out to be crappy days for Steve recently. He was just returning from putting his sister on a flight to L.A, the sister who he had only recently reconnected with. It was a pity he had been forced to take the steps he had, he was not willing to take a chance that the Yakuza would take the last of his family.

To top things off, he could not stop thinking about Sarah. It wasn't like they had some great connection or anything like that; in fact they had barely talked. But there was something about her that he was not able to forget. Hell he already was involved with someone, Katherine. It was nothing serious, although they always managed to spend their R&R together, and there was only one thing that they usually did. So this thinking about another woman, would it be a betrayal of this 'relationship' he had with Katherine?

He had no clue and maybe he could talk to Danny about it. He was usually better with the human feelings stuff, or so he thought. It wasn't that he was emotionally deranged; it was only that he was confused. Which was ridiculous, considering he had only spent about thirty minutes with Sarah.

What he needed was to get into a project, something to get his mind off his confusing love life. He should probably start work on his dad's car soon and soon meant NOW!

-x-

Sarah woke up with a strange restlessness in her that she had never felt before. She felt achy and sweaty; her entire body felt like it needed something. For a minute she thought she had a fever, but on closer examination, she realised her body was aroused. Ok so never having had sex in all her twenty-four years of life, it took her a while to realise that she was sexually aroused. And having a steamy dream about Mr. Sexyguy that she had met at the bar a week ago didn't help her situation.

She had always believed that if she didn't know what she was missing, she would never miss it. And so far it had worked wonders. It wasn't that she was against sex, it had just so happened that she had not met the right guy that she felt comfortable with while all her friends were busy having themselves a good time. And by the time she had finished college, she didn't want to just settle for anyone, if she had waited this long she could wait a little longer.

But she was seriously worried about this 'crush' if one could call it she had on – what was his name? – Steve Garrett or McGarrett. She had a card with his number on it.

She hadn't realised she had wandered into the kitchen, when both her roommates looked up at her from their cereal bowls.

"Good morning sleepyhead" Said Alisha as she poured herself some more OJ. She got up and pulled out another bowl from the cabinet, "Cereal?"

Sarah joined them at the table, "Please! God I need to get all this work done for school, and I have no idea where to start" Alisha had already poured milk onto her cereal and put some strawberries on it. "Hmm, looks great".

Alisha had a small smile on her face, "Oh by the way, I found this while I was looking for my keys" she tossed a card on the table, "So who is this guy. Sounds impressive".

Having looked at the card Sarah said, "I met him last week when I went out with Nat" she took the card and crumpled it, "Might as well get rid of this. I'm never going to call him".

"Why not?" this time it was Jack who asked her. "Is he some kind of ogre?"

"Actually the opposite. He is dreamy" Sarah got up to get a glass of water.

"So what's the problem. He obviously gave you his card 'coz he's interested" Jack came and put his bowl in the sink next to her.

"He's so not my type. He's too… macho muscle man for my taste. I can only imagine what he would be like conversation wise".

At this Alisha laughed, "Sweetie sometimes conversation is way overrated. I think this time you need to let lose and call this guy".

"I already threw out his number, and I am not rummaging through garbage for it" that was satisfactory enough for both Alisha and Jack to leaver her alone.

Once they left the kitchen, Sarah pulled out the crumpled card from her fist. For some reason, which she couldn't understand, she could not bring herself to throw the card away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Steve decided to sit and have a look through some of the stuff his dad was looking over. His sister had photographed the evidence that had been stolen. Maybe he could give Mary a job with the unit, he smirked. She was like a bulldog when she set her mind to something.

She had meticulously documented all the pictures and names of all the Yakuza associates present in his dad's red box. Some of them popped out at him indicating the big players, but some were also small fries in the underworld. Now he needed to try and find a way to get information out of the weakest link. Easiest way would be to lean on a few of the small fries but they usually were the ones who knew the least. It would be a real coup if he could get his hands on one of the big players, but that is something that will take time.

One of the big connections was a guy called Moretti based out of New York, though there was no other information such as what he was, what he did. According to his fathers investigation a son of his was in business with an export company in Hawaii. Now if Steve could find out who the guy was, that would be progress.

Just then his phone rang, it was Danny, "Hey, what's going on?"

"Just a dead kid. Suspected gang killing. Happened at a high school. I'll pick you up on my way" Danny disconnected the phone leaving Steve to go for his shower. His dad's investigation would have to wait.

Exactly twenty minutes later Danny and his car showed up, as usual Danny in his tie and shirt munching on a greasy donut. "Glad to see you've started the healthy diet you were talking about" Steve ribbed him.

"Thanks buddy thought you'd never notice. I figured, there is one good thing I like about this place, therefore I will indulge in that for a while" he gave Steve a shit-eating grin.

"Okay, let's go Pillsbury Dough Boy", Steve made his way out of the house. He could hear Danny, "That is totally uncalled for. I will tell you I have abs, maybe not as sharp and chiseled as yours, and I don't think I can grate cheese off them, but I do have abs". All this was said while he munched on the piece of grease.

They drove to the school while Danny filled him in. Not much help since they didn't know much. They pulled up in front of the school and had to make their way through the paramedics and kids that were flocking around the crime scene that had been cordoned off by the uniforms.

Once they reached the body, Kono was kneeling close by examining the shell casings. "What do we have here Kono?" Steve asked her kneeling down next to the body. He lifted the sheet from the body and had to brace himself for the impact of facing a dead body so young.

"Hey boss. The victim, David Gilbert got into a fight with Matthew Koloi, teacher tried to break up the fight. Matthew then pulled out a gun, shot the teacher in the arm and then shot the victim twice in the chest and took off". Kono came and stood next to him showing him the shell casing she had collected.

He took the evidence bag from her, "standard Glock 9mil. Where is the teacher?" he asked as he handed her the bag.

"She's there in the ambulance. She got shot in the arm but she'll live" Kono pointed to one of the ambulance busses. Steve made his way toward it and as he got a glimpse of the teacher he felt as if his heart come into his throat.

It was Sarah and she was wrapped in a blanket. Her hair all over the place and her face was swollen on one side; she had probably taken a hit to the face while trying to stop the fight. In spite of that she looked rather calm, the entire incident had not yet sunk in for her. He had seen a lot, but seeing Sarah like this shook him somehow.

As he approached the bus his steps turned to a slight jog, "Sarah?" he was close enough not to yell and when she turned toward him her expression at first was dazed, then cleared and recognition set in.

"Steve?" she brushed aside one of the paramedics hands tending to a cut on her head. "Oh my God" he heard her whisper and then to his shock and hers as well, she burst into tears.

By the time he reached her, the medic was done with her head and checked on her arm. "Hey, hey. Its fine, you're alright" he touched the side of her face that wasn't swollen, stroked her soft cheek and wiped her tears. Women's tears had never affected him unless they were Mary's. He could usually handle himself without getting overly emotional, but the sight of her crying like this had him reaching for her and enfolding her in his arms as carefully as he could, taking care not to jar her arm.

"We need to get her to the hospital. We got the bullet out but she needs to be checked in for observation" one of the medics said.

Steve let go slightly and asked what hospital they were taking her to. "Alright here's my card in case I get stuck and am not able to come in a couple of hours", he stroked her hair and looked into her black eyes. "Sarah you listen to me. I will come as soon as I am done and we'll talk alright?"

She could only nod her head, though her crying had waned. The paramedic helped her to lie down on the stretcher and then loaded her into the bus. Steve watched while they shut the doors and they took off in the direction of the hospital.

"You wanna explain the romantic display?" Danny walked up behind him.

Steve turned toward Danny, "I met her the other day. Her name is Sarah, I don't even know her last name" he gave a grunt crossed with a laugh.

"Its Sarah Morrissey. She's new here. She's a favourite with the students, and when she saw the fight she jumped in, but didn't see the gun" Danny supplied, "Can you imagine her jumping into a fight to stop it. Those guys are easily six foot plus and she couldn't be more than five feet tall. Gutsy chick".

"Yeah well, let's get this sorted out. Anyone see if the shooter escaped in a car? What kind was it?" he asked Danny.

Danny looked at his notepad, "Kid jumped into a blue sedan, no one saw plates and the make ranges anywhere from a Toyota to a Dodge. It looks like he came prepared to run since witnesses are pretty sure there were two others in the car".

"I want all witness statements, and any mobile phone videos that have been taken. Everything we can get will be useful" Steve said, "I'm headed to the hospital where they took Sarah. I'll meet you back at the office".

"Hey hold on a second. You're being weird. We need to get started on the investigation and question witnesses, not running after some girl. Okay granted the girl also happens to be a victim but Kono already questioned her, you can't get anything more from her for a while" Danny waved his hands around like he always did during one of his speeches.

"Look, I don't know what it is but ever since I met her I can't stop thinking about her. She doesn't have any family here and from what I gathered not many friends either, so I just want to be there for her" Steve explained the turmoil that he had been going through.

Danny only smiled at him, "Okay, fine. You go ahead but keep in touch and be back soon. Man I've never seen you like this about a girl. I have to say it's nice. Reminds me that you're human after all".

"Very funny, Danno" Steve turned to leave. All he could think about at this moment was Sarah and the way she had burst into tears. And when he had taken her into his arms, the way she had clung to him had invoked a feeling he had never felt before. And it was not a feeling he welcomed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Sarah lay in the hospital bed trying her best not to feel sorry for herself. But every time she closed her eyes she saw the gun and the wound in her arm would throb, even though she had been given painkillers. And then the tears would come. She had no idea why, since she was not a girl who cried a lot. And to top everything off, the thought of seeing Steve again and in such a horrible way, just made things worse.

Ever since they had met a couple of weeks ago she had not stopped thinking about him. It was strange, she had never felt anything like this instant attraction she felt for him. She had crushes regularly and also dated quite frequently but she never seemed to be able to want to be with a guy long term. At least not the ones she knew. And she was still not comfortable with the idea of being attracted to a guy like Steve; he was too macho, as she had told her roommates.

She wanted her parents with her, but because of her father's response she was hesitant. She could always call her brother and sister – in – law, but she also knew they would report back to her folks. As it is she had fought hard to get away from their hold, after this they would immediately make her move back to New York. Being from a mixed Italian – Indian household, the protectiveness and smothering was always doubled. Being the only daughter in a house where females were cosseted, it was a major achievement for her to get away. And she did not want to go back and leave a life she was starting to enjoy. She enjoyed the freedom of not having to answer to her Italian father's concerned phone calls when she was out late at night, nor her Indian mothers attempts to set her up with eligible bachelors.

At the moment all she wanted to do was sleep and forget the whole thing ever happened.

-X-

She woke up feeling like her arm was on fire, her body was bathed in sweat and she was shivering. She felt someone smoothing her bangs off and blowing on her sweaty forehead. Someone was also holding her hand and it felt really warm but comforting. She could hear murmuring but she couldn't make out the words.

She cracked open her eyes and saw only blurry figures, which were three. God, there were a lot of people in her room and she didn't want to see anyone, let alone talk. Couldn't they just leave her alone? Didn't they know she was in pain?

"Are you in pain, sweetie?" it was a female voice which sounded very familiar, it was probably Alisha. A male voice joined her, Jack, "What do you think? She did get shot" – Thanks for stating the obvious.

There was someone else there who remained silent, the one holding her hand. She must have made a sound, she wasn't sure, she was so out of it, but the hand holding hers squeezed her fingers softly as if to reassure her of something, perhaps that she was alright.

"How are you doing?" asked the unfamiliar figure, though the voice was strangely recognisable and soothing, deep and softly spoken. She opened her eyes and recognised Steve. What was he doing here?

She must have mumbled her question out loud because he answered, "I came from the school after they took you in the ambulance. I wasn't sure if you had any family you wanted to call so I thought a familiar face to wake up to would be nice", that was nice of him. Which again she mumbled out loud without knowing.

"I called your roommates, I hope you don't mind, I went through your cell phone and dialled the most recent and most frequently called number" Steve supplied. She would deal with this breach of privacy later, when she was feeling a little better.

"Thanks. It means a lot. You didn't have to stay with me" this time Sarah made sure her eyes were open and she could see him. He continued to hold her hand.

"I know. But I knew you were new in town and probably didn't have many friends. I'm glad you have someone to take care of you when your home" he said as he looked toward the door because just then the doctor came in.

"So I see she's up that's good. Do you guys mind stepping out of the room just for a bit so I can have a word with her" the doctor said. All three of them quietly moved out of the room to wait outside.

Sarah looked at the doctor, "So, how bad is it?" she asked.

He smiled, "It's not as bad as it hurts. The bullet lodged in your arm and had to be taken out so the scar will be significant. You have a slight infection in the wound, which is why you have a fever, but its nothing to worry about" he looked at her chart and continued, "if you're wondering about whether or not your arm is fine, the answer is yes. There seems to be no damage, but we will have to keep observing that by follow up checks once you leave in a couple of days. We have taken the liberty to let your school know that you will need time off for at least a month, and as much rest as you can get" So the news was good. She didn't have to call her parents or her brother. She just had to make an excuse not see them for a month or so.

After the doctor left, Alisha, Jack and Steve all returned. She told them what she had been told by the doctor. Once her roommates left after promising to come back tomorrow with some of her things, she was left alone with Steve.

He sat on the chair next to her bed, "So what were you doing at the school today?" she had to ask since it was a complete surprise for her to see him there.

"I was there for work. My team, The Five – O is handling the case since it is gang related".

"But I thought you were a SEAL?"

"I transferred to the reserves a while back and was asked by the Governor to head a special investigative taskforce".

"Sounds impressive. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but shouldn't you be at work?" Sarah found it rather strange that he was with her for such a long time.

"Yeah. In fact I'm headed back in a bit. You are a victim so me being here also constitutes work" once he said that Sarah's excitement died down a bit. "Do you have any idea why the fight broke out?" the interrogation started.

"No, I wasn't familiar with the student who shot me, Matthew, I never taught him, but I knew David. He was a troubled kid but he wanted to learn. I know that he came from a broken home and not much in the way of support from family, but he was a good kid" Sarah was a bit pissed but she understood that gang related violence was no joke, so she answered all his questions, and there were quite a few.

"Okay. I can see you're tired. I have left my number with Alisha and also programmed it into your cell, so don't hesitate to call me" he reached over and gave her hand a gentle pat, like she was a kid, smiled a little and then left.

So she was work and nothing more. No need to read much into anything and she shouldn't feel so grateful that he came to the hospital. He was only doing his job. She knew she sounded petulant and unreasonable, but damn it she was in pain! She closed her eyes and went back to sleep, trying her best not to think about Steve.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Thanks to all those who have been following the story and leaving reviews, really appreciate it and please keep doing so. This is my first fan fiction so please be kind if I get too carried away!**_

**Chapter Six**

_Two weeks after the shooting…_

Sarah woke up to sounds that were familiar and old, the constant sirens and traffic noises so typical of New York City. For a minute she thought she was dreaming. It was funny how accustomed one got to ocean sounds, especially when one had grown up in the city. She opened her eyes and took in the familiar surroundings of her old room at her parents apartment.

When she had been released from the hospital a week and half ago, her parents had already been in Hawaii and the same day as they had reached they had whisked her back home. She hadn't been happy about it but she knew she would not win any arguments, specially faced with her parents and brother. It wasn't that they bullied her, but she knew when she was outnumbered. So here she was back home, albeit temporarily, strangely missing her new home.

It was strange how she had started to think of Hawaii as home. She loved her life, more than anything she loved the fact that she was completely independent, though at times she wished she was less lonely. But loneliness had been her company in New York as well. She was brought out of her musings with the "Big Bang Theory" ringtone on her cell phone. The number was unfamiliar, but she still answered it, it might be her school.

"Hello?" she tried not to sound too sleepy.

"Sarah? It's Steve" came the voice of the man who had not been too far away from her thoughts. He sounded all business like which sort of pissed her off.

"Hi, Steve. I informed Danny that I would be returning to New York, and he gave me the all clear as long as I was easily reachable" Sarah informed him before he could ask her.

She heard a grunt from the other end, "He told me that. I was just wondering why you didn't call me?" if she didn't want to lose her mind she had to believe that his slightly hurt tone was her own imagination. "How are you feeling?" His voice had turned from business to gentle and friendly, she could believe he had a small smile on his sexy mouth.

"I didn't call you because I knew you would be busy. And I am fine, just some pain in the arm" she told him as she got up from the bed.

"Listen to me, when it comes to you I will always be there to take a call. I don't want you to feel like you can't talk to me" Sarah could just imagine him feeling awkward saying it.

"Steve you don't have to be so nice. You already did so much, visiting me in the hospital, bringing my iPod when Alisha wasn't able to" Sarah had been surprised to see him all the days that she had been in hospital, he came before work and met her before he headed home. It had made her feel special although he always talked about the case or something totally objective like his work.

She heard him sigh, "Look I might as well tell you now, 'coz I'm not sure I'll be able to tell you face to face" again he sighed, "I like you. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since the night I met you. And when you get back maybe we should go out sometime".

Sarah couldn't speak for a bit and she heard him asking her if she was still there, "Yes I'm still here. And I can't stop thinking about you either. You're so not the kind of guy I would usually go for but there is something about you" she paused for courage, "I am sorry if I was blunt but I believe in total honesty. And I can't believe you would ever be interested in me".

"Well I am" he didn't sound too happy about it, Sarah thought. "So what do you think about doing something when you get back?"

"Uhh, yeah I would like to do something, maybe dinner or something", she suggested. "I get back the coming Monday".

"Fine, just text me the time your flight arrives and I'll pick you up" Steve informed her like he was giving out orders.

"I can take a cab, you don't have to pick me up" just the way he demanded her flight information like he had a right to, made her want to do the opposite.

"Don't even think about it. You're still not up to it, and you'll have luggage. I'll pick you up. Okay I have to go now so I'll see you Monday?" Even though he framed it like a question, Sarah knew it was a statement.

"Yes I'll see you Monday" they both hung up at the same time. Sarah walked out into the kitchen and smelled the waffles she loved so much.

Her mother was at the cook top, making eggs, "Good morning darling! How are you feeling this morning?"

"Hi Ma. I'm feeling better, the pain is a little less, but I can do with another hit of pain pills" she smiled at her mother as she was served a plate of waffles and a glass of OJ. "Where is dad?"

"He left early this morning to go to Jersey. Had a business meeting with a building contractor for the new hotel" Her mother came and sat opposite her at the table. Anita Morrissey was a beautiful woman in her mid fifties, with graying short hair that was always cut in the latest style. She was already dressed in a pair of smart looking beige linen trousers and an aqua top with matching silver jewelry that was her staple. Sarah had always considered her mother to be one of the most stylish women she had ever known, and having grown up in New York that was saying something.

"When is the building scheduled to start?" Sarah bit into a waffle.

"He's just waiting on the approvals from council and then they should start. Another month or so, you know how long these things take" her mother fussed about the kitchen, "So, who was on the phone just now?"

Sarah swallowed her waffle, "Uhh, just a friend from Hawaii. He just wanted to know how I was doing, and then he offered to give me a lift when I get back".

"Sounds nice. So is he handsome? And what is his name?"

She had to have a drink first, "His name is Steve and yes he is handsome" very handsome.

"Well I'm glad you have someone to take care of you".

"He's not taking care of me, Ma. He just offered to pick me up".

"Loraine told me he came everyday to visit you in the hospital" Her sister – in – law was a blabbermouth.

"Loraine and Jay should mind their own business. But yes he came to visit me everyday". Her mother just smiled and didn't mention him further.

-X-

Steve waited at the airport for Sarah's flight to land. At the last minute he had picked up some flowers, he didn't even know what they were called they just looked nice. He felt a little silly holding a bunch of flowers in the middle of the airport. But people didn't really notice him, they were too busy greeting their loved ones.

After about twenty minutes it was announced that the passengers from her flight had disembarked, so he went and stood in a position that would give him the best view of the passage they would come from.

It had been more than two weeks since he had last seen her and he didn't like this anticipation he was feeling. It made him feel week and he had never felt like this. Last week he had met up with Catherine and whether it was out of habit or not, he wasn't sure, they had ended up in bed together. Usually he enjoyed himself, but this time he felt a strange sense of wrong about the whole evening. Catherine had sensed this and had managed to dig out the info from him. He wasn't sure how she would react, but she was good about the whole thing.

Steve had seen the hurt in her eyes, and had hated himself for being in this situation. He considered himself an honorable man and he hated deceiving people, which was one of the reasons he had told Catherine about Sarah. She had smiled sadly and told him that even though she was not looking to settle down anytime soon, she would be happy for him if he found someone else. He had protested that he wasn't looking for anything serious either, but she had given one of those mysterious smiles that only women could, had gotten dressed and left after kissing him one last time.

Steve was pulled out of his reverie when he spotted a small figure dressed in a pair of baggy jeans that were fashionably ripped and a plain white t – shirt and black vest. It was Sarah and her arm was in a sling, her leather handbag slung across her body, dragging her luggage behind her. She was looking around and Steve noticed for the first time she was wearing a pair of wayfarer glasses that gave her a boyish air with her hair tied in a messy knot on her head. She looked tired but good. Steve decided to walk up to her and meet her.

"Hi" she said when she saw him. He could see the color rise in her cheeks when she saw the flowers, "Oh Steve! You shouldn't have" but she looked happy to see them.

"I just wanted to give you a Hawaiian welcome" without thinking he bent down and brushed his mouth on hers softly. It was soft, but he felt an electric friction pass between them. He didn't deepen it, but straightened once again. "Here let me get your bag".

She let him drag her bag and he saw her touching her mouth with slightly trembling fingers. Good. He was not the only one who was a bit out of his depth here.

Steve dropped her home and helped her take her luggage in. Neither Alisha not Jack were in for the evening so he invited her to have dinner with him, but she refused saying she as tired. She did look exhausted, so he decided to let it go. Again he brushed his mouth on hers, this time lingering a little. Her mouth was soft and her breath was warm on his cheek. He cupped her cheek as he straightened. "Good night. Tomorrow I'm taking Danny for a hike, but when I return I'll call and we'll decide when to go for that dinner you promised me".

She was quite breathless when she gave her Okay. He left her after he watched her lock the door.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Thank you once again, to all those who are following Steve and Sarah's romance. I am incorporating little bits from the show that are important, but I wont be re-writing episodes since we all watch them and that wouldn't be any fun. So here is another instalment, hopefully you guys like it!**_

**Chapter Seven**

Steve was in pain because of his broken forearm. One hell of a hike this turned out to be, what with first finding a body and then him taking a fall and almost getting himself killed with a rock hitting his head. Thankfully the pain meds were working. Since he had gone on SEALs reserves he had gotten soft. And he was in no mood to go out this evening with the rest of the Five – O Team. But they had worked a good case and everyone was in need of some wind down time. Besides he had already called Sarah and invited her, in fact he and Danny were headed to her place to pick her up.

He walked to her door and ran his hands through his hair; he could hear Danny snickering in the car. He turned and flipped him the finger, which earned him more laughter. Asshole.

Sarah opened the door and smiled at him, showing her cute dimples. She looked great in a pair of army green skinny cargo pants and a loose fitting black T – shirt. Her long hair was up in a messy knot and she still wore the same wayfarer glasses she was wearing when he had picked her up with silver hoops in her ears and a long silver owl necklace. Her bangs kept coming in her eyes that were the only part of her face that had makeup, a very sexy sixties pin up girl sweep of eyeliner. She looked taller and he noticed she had on black platform heels. Steve didn't usually think about a woman's clothes as long as she looked good, but Sarah had an alternative style about her, casual yet fashionable. He liked it.

Now he also noticed her smile had faded as she took in his battered face and arm that was in a cast. "Oh My God! What the hell happened to you?" she asked as she came closer and examined his face. Because of her heels she only had to stretch a little.

"I went on a hike with Danny and had a bit of an accident" his good hand reached to cup her cheek as he bent and kissed her lips. It was feeling more natural to do so every time.

"A bit of an accident? You're face is all bruised and you broke your arm" she looked at her own sling and then laughed as if she couldn't help herself, "We make quite a pair don't we?" this time it was her turn to stand on tip toe and kiss his bruised cheek. "A kiss to make it better".

"Thank you. Now come along you have people to meet" Steve offered his arm to her and she threaded her arm through his, resting her hand on his cast. "I'm sorry this is not an official date. The team was going out and I wanted to see you again so I asked you to come along. I hope you don't mind".

"Not at all. This way we get to know each other better before we decide to embark on what could potentially be a horrendous date".

They had reached the car by now and Steve introduced her to Danny, "Sarah I would like you to meet my partner, Danny Williams".

"Nice to meet you, officially. Hope your arm is feeling better" Danny was all politeness as he shook hands with her.

"If by better you mean ready to fall off then yes, it's much better" Sarah laughed as Danny smiled at her.

"Believe me I have been shot only once" he gave Steve a pointed look, "and it kills".

"You must tell me how that happened?" she asked inquisitively. They had started toward the freeway.

"Well let's just say that man has some interesting stories about him" he said pointing to Steve. Danny guffawed as he proceeded to tell her about the time he got shot chasing a suspect the first time he had worked with Steve.

Sarah looked sympathetically at Danny, "Oh poor Danny. Steve you should treat him better" she smiled at Steve and he felt like he was about to melt, the expression in her eyes was naughty and sexy as she teased him.

"I will just because you say so" Steve took her hand that was resting on the back of his seat and on impulse kissed her fingers. He watched her blush in the light from the oncoming traffic as she smiled sweetly.

"Alright you two. Haven't even been on a date yet and already can't keep their hands off each other" Danny laughed at them, making Sarah go red with embarrassment.

"Danno, behave yourself. You're in the presence of a lady" Steve admonished him as they pulled into the Hilton car park. They were met by the others in the garden, where there live performances were taking place. Steve introduced her to Chin and Kono who Sarah immediately started chatting with.

Then Kamekona came in, "Eh, Steve's lady. You're a pretty little thing" he looked at Steve, "Nice job, bro".

"Thanks, bro" Steve laughed as they all sat at their table.

-X-

This night was the most fun Sarah had had in the last few months. The company was great, and she didn't mean just Steve, but also his co – workers. She could tell they were more than that, they were more like friends. She liked the dynamic between Steve and Danny. They were constantly bickering like kids and it was fun to watch Steve like this. He was relaxed and very different from the other times she had seen him. In fact she had noticed it the afternoon he had picked her up at the airport.

She was regaled with stories of the crazy stuff that Steve pulled during their investigations. She had a good laugh when they told her about the time Steve and Danny had dropped a suspect in a cage in the middle of shark-infested waters to make him talk. And when Steve had blown up a pawnshop door with a hand grenade.

By the time it was time to head back home, Sarah was tired but happy. It was a very relaxed night, and she had a feeling that she had met people who could become great friends. Especially Kono and Danny. She liked Chin as well, although he was more of the philosopher and Big Brother who tended to look after everyone.

Danny and Steve drove her home after dinner. "Good night Danny. Say hi to Grace for me. I would love to meet her sometime" she patted him on his shoulder as she got out of the car.

"Yeah we can go to the beach sometime and I can show off with my surfing skills" he offered.

Steve walked her to her door and waited for her to open her door. She then turned to him, he was standing with his good arm braced on the door. "Goodnight Steve. I really enjoyed myself tonight, I think I needed this".

"Good I'm glad" Steve got a look in his eyes that she had not seen before. It was sexy and determined. The next thing she knew she was being kissed like she had never been kissed. Previously Steve had kept it gentle and light, but now he deepened the kiss. He licked the seam of her lips and when she gasped, his tongue slipped in, teasing hers. She had to brace her hands on his shoulders, because her legs had turned to jelly. One of his arms moved around her waist and brought her closer to his body, fitting her snugly against his hard body. She also put her good arm around his waist and hugged him closer, she liked the feeling of his body close to hers.

He was still kissing her, it was frankly a carnal kiss that told her that Steve was a man, compared to the boys she had previously kissed. Steve was playing with her mouth, licking her lips, then dipping in and playing with her tongue. It was the sexiest thing she had ever experienced. And just when it was getting better they heard a whistle come from behind which could only belong to Danny.

They broke apart and they were both breathless, "I could fucking kill the guy" Steve muttered.

"Maybe you should shoot him instead, he seems to hate that" she laughed at his frustration.

Steve groaned and dropped his forehead to hers, "I'll call you tomorrow and we can go for dinner without the whole gang" he kissed her hard once again then turned and walked to the car. Before getting in he waved at her.

When she entered, Alisha met her with a cheeky smile, "Oh my isn't that man just dreamy? Too bad I'm taken" she laughed at herself.

"Yes too bad" Sarah walked to her bedroom and shut the door. She needed to be alone to mull over the evening and convince herself not to get too ahead of herself when it came to her feelings for Steve.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Hi everyone. This is finally the big FIRST DATE. It's a longer chapter and I hope you guys like it. Please review!**_

**Chapter 8**

It had been a week since their first unofficial date and tonight they would be going out for dinner for their much-awaited official date. Both of them had been busy and it had been hard to coordinate a time when they could go out. Alisha had tried to tell Sarah that it wasn't right that Steve had waited a week to ask her to dinner, Sarah had understood. He was a very busy man, his work was his priority and at this stage they were not close enough for her to resent it. And she hoped that if this relationship developed, she would not resent it. His work was an intrinsic part of who he was, it was not just a job but he was emotionally involved. She had gauged this from what she had heard from him and his friends. She liked that he was a passionate man and he would probably be as passionate about all aspects of his life.

Well the night was finally here, Friday night to be exact. Steve had not told her where they would be going but had just said to dress a little fancy. So here she was in her favourite red Mexican style maxi dress, which she had had to alter since she was so short. It was a lovely strappy dress with a full skirt embroidered with colorful flowers in bright blue and yellow. Her hair was in a loose side braid and she wore dangly wooden earrings to match her wooden bangles. On her feet she chose to wear her tan colored wedges, which were comfortable and would give her the needed height. Walking with Steve made her feel like a midget, and even though she was not a frequent heel wearer, now she would have to. Therefore more shoes – Yay!

The doorbell rang and she heard two male voices talking, Steve and Jack her roommate. Next thing her door burst open, Alisha came rushing in, "OMG, he looks fantastic! I had no idea a suit with no tie could look so HOT! Go quick see for yourself" she rushed Sarah out the door.

"Am I looking ok?" she quickly asked feeling uncharacteristically nervous. But then again with Steve around her stomach was always flipping. "You look great babe" was the hasty reply.

Sure enough, there stood Steve looking so handsome her breath caught. Previously she had always seen him in his cargo pants and shirts, and once in jeans. She had thought he looked hot then, but now in a slim fitting black suit and white shirt, minus tie he looked like a GQ model.

"Wow, you look great" was what Steve said after he took in her form quietly for a few moments. "You ready to go?"

"Thanks and you look very handsome yourself" she walked toward him as he offered her his arm, she slipped hers through it. Her sling had come off and so had his cast, although they both had to wear a protective brace on their injuries. Alisha passed her the black lace Spanish cover up in case it got a bit chilly. Once outside she saw a truck instead of the silver car and knew this was probably Steve's.

Once they reached the truck he opened the door for her and before she could hoist herself up on the seat, she was turned toward him, his hands settled on her waist and he lifted her up onto the seat, "Thanks, you didn't have to" what a silly thing to say Sarah girl.

"A pleasure ma'am. And I have to do something else" he looked into her eyes and smiled his sexy smile. At her questioning look he said, "This" and kissed her lips. It had been a week since their last kiss and she had relived it a hundred times over and over again. But imagination could not compare to the reality of it.

He started off slow, just a soft brushing of his lips against hers. Then he nipped her full bottom lip and licked the sting away. He held her face in his big hands while her arms went to his hard chest. Steve's kiss became more demanding and he slipped his tongue in, engaging hers in a dual. She was shy at first but then became more confident, matching his enthusiasm and kissing him harder. She grabbed his jacket lapels and brought him closer. It was as if their mouths were fused together and not even air could get in between.

Steve was the first to pull away, his breathing harsh in the quiet night, "God I missed that mouth, its been driving me insane" his thumb caressed her blushing cheeks, "I've ruined your lipstick".

"If you continue to kiss me like that you can eat up as much lipstick as you want" her breathing was heavy. "So where are we going?"

"It's a surprise. I just hope you like it" that was all he said as he came around and got into the drivers side. They drove for about thirty minutes but they were nowhere near any of the restaurants or nightlife that was huge here. Instead they had turned into a suburban street with lovely bungalows lining each side.

"I just need to pick up something. Come inside it won't be too long" again he helped her out of the truck and into the spacious house.

Sarah looked around and liked what she saw. Everything was very neat and tidy, with pictures of his family on the walls. A woman's touch was evident in the décor, which was not overly feminine but something a man would not have picked. She had no idea of Steve's past and wondered who had decorated.

As if he read her mind, "This was the house I grew up in. It's a bit dated but it reminds me of my mom" he told her and she felt silly for feeling jealous.

"I love it. It's so open and airy".

"Come out the back for a minute I want to show you something" Steve took her hand in his and walked out the back door onto a deck that led to a garden and then the beach. And on the beach was a beautiful setting that melted her heart.

Right there near the water, was a table set for two while lanterns and candles were the only source of light around. It was incredibly romantic and something she had not at all expected for a first date.

"Oh Steve, this is lovely. It's completely different to what I had expected" She turned to him and going on tiptoe kissed his cheek, "Thank you".

Sarah could have sworn that he blushed but she couldn't tell in the dim light, "I had hoped you'd like it. But don't thank me yet. I had my sister cook for us and I am not sure what it tastes like" he grinned as a young blonde walked out from behind them. "Sarah I would like you to meet my sister Mary, who informed me that she is an excellent chef and that we should put our trust in her".

Mary punched him in the arm and smiled at Sarah, "Don't listen to him, I am a fabulous chef and you will be licking your fingers by the end of dinner. And in case you are wondering, I won't be interrupting your date, I serve dinner and then I'm gone".

Sarah laughed at their interaction, it was very different from her own relationship with her brother, "That's fine. And Don't worry I have full confidence in your abilities. I bet your food will be delicious".

Mary had a quick drink with them and then headed back into the kitchen.

"I hope this wasn't too much for a first date" Steve asked her as he led her toward their table on the beach.

"I think it's perfect for a first date. Very romantic and hundred points for creativity" she looped her arm through his since her feet were sinking into the sand making it hard for her to walk. Steve noticed and then did something that completely surprised her. He scooped her up in his arms and led her to the table. "Oh my, how strong you are sir" she tried to joke in a fake southern accent. Her stomach was flipping again as she inhaled his male sent.

"All the better to impress you with, ma'am" He mock growled at her. When they reached the table he set her down and pulled out her chair. Once they were seated Steve poured them some wine and touched his glass to hers in a silent toast.

"I'm pretty sure the wolf was not as polite as you".

"Well what can I say, I'm a nice guy, even when I'm pretending to be a wolf" he showed off his perfect teeth.

Sarah was amazed at how good a time they had, the food was amazing and true to her word once the dinner and desert was done Mary left with a quick hug for both of them. Now they were alone and at his place, she just hoped she could handle what came next.

-X-

After shoving his sister off the beach, he turned to Sarah. Tonight had been perfect and for some reason he had gone out of his way to arrange something special for their first date. He had never done that before, usually he just took his dates to a nice restaurant followed by a movie or something low key. But when it came to Sarah he always wanted to do something more.

Right now she sat on her chair and looked like an angel with the candlelight playing on her face. Her dimple flashed when she talked and laughed. And he loved her laugh, it was light and innocent and different from what he was used to. She was different. They had talked the entire time, and when there had been silence it was a comfortable silence. Steve thought back to a time when his dad had told him that when silence with a woman was comfortable, a man knew that she was someone special.

"Wanna go for a walk on the beach?" she asked him. Throughout the night he had noticed that she was confident even if she held a hint of shyness. She didn't play coy like some women, she was not naïve in spite the air of innocence she had about her. And from what she had told him, she was fiercely independent, and he liked that about her. He usually came across women who were either too clingy or so damn independent they made him feel emasculated. Sarah was a combination of both. She didn't pull away from him and he knew she wasn't clingy from the way she had behaved so far. In fact he was the one who would call her more often.

"Lead the way" he offered her his arm, but had to wait as she took off her wedges and he followed her discarding his own dress shoes and socks, rolling up his pants.

They walked on the waters edge and now and then the water lapped at their feet. Sarah had bunched up her pretty dress in her hands while her other hand was in his.

Somehow their conversation led to the day of her shooting, "So have you been able to locate Matthew yet?" Sarah asked.

"We just heard news that he has fled to L.A where some of his family are. Because of that the FBI is taking over. But don't worry we will also be following this up".

"I went to the funeral for David Gilbert. I couldn't meet his mother she was so heartbroken. I just stood at the back" she sounded so sad. Steve pulled her closer and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they walked.

"We know definitely that it was a gang related fight. David was getting more involved in one of the gangs and as part of the initiation he had to prove himself. Unfortunately that included him clashing with Matthew who turned out to be too much for him to handle" Steve turned her towards him and kissed her mouth, then bent and kissed her bandaged wound, "And you were caught in the middle. Do you know how scared I was when I saw you in the ambulance?"

"It was like I was in shock when I saw you running towards me. I thought I was hallucinating" Sarah burrowed closer into his hard body. "I was so happy to see your face, but I realize that only now".

"I'm glad I could be there for you as much as I could be".

"Steve you're a great guy. Not at all what I had expected. I was very apprehensive about you, I thought you would be too macho and he-manish" Steve had to laugh at that. Except for Danny no one had called him he-man before.

They stayed like that for a while just enjoying holding each other. Then Steve asked, "Do you want to stay the night?" he felt her stiffen a little, then she looked up. He could see the uncertainty in her eyes.

"Steve I know you're used to dating a certain way and while I have dated quite frequently I have never been serious with anyone before" she paused then looked away. "I never had a boyfriend and I have never slept with anyone before. So if you don't mind could we please wait? I feel like we have something and I would like it if we could take it slow". Once she had finished her speech she looked up at him, again with a mix of uncertainty and determination.

Steve knew that if he did not agree with her he would lose her. She was a woman who demanded respect, who was he to deny her that. Something must have showed on his face because she spoke, "Look, don't think that I am angling for a proposal, we just started seeing each other. It just so happens that since I have waited this long I would want for my first time to be with someone I could love".

He took her face in his hands and kissed her gently. That didn't last long, because as soon as he started to kiss her his entire body became an inferno. He kissed her deeply, slid his tongue in her mouth and played with hers. She was not shy but enthusiastic, telling him she would be very passionate once she did sleep with him. More than anything he needed to make this kiss feel like a reassurance for her. He wanted to reassure her that he would respect her wishes.

Steve pulled away from her and looked into her eyes, "That was to let you know that I will respect your wishes. And until you give me the green light nothing will happen between us".

Sarah smiled, "Thank you for understanding. And now I give you the green light to kiss me senseless".

"Oh God you will be the death of me woman!" he growled as he pounced on her. Her laugh was swallowed in his passionate kiss.

This waiting was going to be a challenge but it was something he would readily do if he could only keep Sarah with him.


	9. Chapter 9

_**In light of what is about to happen in the finale episode, the next few chapters are supposed to be before all that. I will be incorporating the finale episode in my story and hopefully it will be good. If you guys don't think it's the right thing to do then please let me know.**_

**Chapter Nine**

It had been three weeks since Steve and Sarah had been dating and it was great. It was a short amount of time but they had gotten into a routine. They would try and meet everyday and then usually had dinner together either at Steve's house or at Sarah's place. It was perhaps one of the first times that Steve felt he was in a relationship. Before this he was constantly on the move, and except for Catherine, he had never been seriously involved with anyone. Even with Catherine, they only met when they were in the same place, which wasn't much to say about a relationship.

They still hadn't slept together, even though they made out like they were teenagers. Once they had gone to Danny's place for a barbeque and they had been caught necking in the backyard corner away from everyone. Even more embarrassing, the one who had caught them had been Grace who had found them and ran away giggling. Countless times they had made out in his truck, before he dropped her off home at nights, and more often than not they had made out like crazy in his lounge room while 'watching' TV reruns.

It was getting to a point where it was more and more difficult to stop, and if he said so himself, he was quite proud of the fact that he was the one who had the will power to stop each time. Sarah would try her best to pull him back, but he resisted. In the heat of the moment she would forget the conditions she had set on their relationship, but once she sobered up, she would turn red as a cherry, looking embarrassed.

Steve recognized that he had reached a stage in his life where he wanted to settle down. When he had first met Sarah and had started having feelings for her, he didn't like it. Now even though he was still wary, he welcomed the opportunity that he may have met a woman who could become a part of his life. He always believed in family life, but had never really thought seriously about it before. Now he could imagine a life with Sarah. He wasn't sure if he loved her, but he definitely had strong feelings for her, feelings that were different to what he previously had felt for others. It was perhaps too soon to think about things like this, they had known each other only a little more than a month. But it was more of an instinctive knowledge that she was meant for him and he for her, rather than a logical one. He could only hope that she felt the same way.

Just as he was thinking, his phone rang. He looked at the phone, speak of the devil, "Hey babe. What's happening?" he asked while sitting back in his office chair.

"Hey there sailor. I was just wondering whether you would like to come for a party tonight? Its for one of the teachers and I don't want to go alone" she sounded tired and considering the time it would be the end of her teaching day. It was a Wednesday so she had classes all day.

"Sure, what time should I pick you up?" he hated going to parties specially when they were for people he did not know, but he would because he know Sarah wasn't a big fan either.

"If you're busy don't worry about it, I'll drive myself and you can meet me there" He could hear a smile in her voice. That was another thing about her. She was not at all demanding of his time, she understood that his job had certain demands on him, which he had no control over.

"Ok if nothing turns up by five I'll pick you up around five thirty. Do you want me to dress up or should I just come straight from work?"

"Just come straight from work. I don't want to stay too long, then we can just get something to eat" She sighed.

"What's wrong? You don't sound so good" he asked.

Again she sighed, "I'm just tired. I had a nightmare grade nine today. On top of that I have my period. I just feel like ripping my hair out".

Steve was used to PMS because of his sister, so he knew if he laughed he was in trouble. He smiled though, he had never seen her in a bad mood but he imagined she would look cute all riled up. They said goodbye and hung up. Just then Danny walked in.

"Hey partner. Got a heads up on the Koloi kid who shot your girl" he came sat on the edge of the big desk, "The Feds picked him up in Florida in a carnival of all places. He was busy with some chick, they literally caught him with his pants down" Danny had a little giggle.

"So are they bringing him here?"

"Yeah he's coming and the DA is going to be charging him. In fact I just got a call from her. She said Sarah would most probably have to testify, since she is a victim".

Steve thought about it, she had taken the entire incident in her stride, considering what she had gone through. She went to counseling twice and week, even though according to her she didn't need it. "I'll talk to her tonight. I think she should be fine".

"Dude she is brave that one. How is she doing? Haven't seen her in a while. Maybe we can do a barbeque at your place this time" Danny snickered again, "Maybe this time you'll get caught with your pants down".

Steve gave him one of his looks, "You wait your turn man. I'll get you good".

-X-

As Sarah pulled up to Jackie's house she saw a truck pull up behind her. She smiled as she saw Steve waiving. He had called earlier that he would be late, so she decided to drive there herself and let him meet her. She loved to drive everywhere, especially since she got her new Jeep Wrangler last week. It had really surprised Steve when she had told him she was buying that and she had teased him that he expected her to get a girlier car. It was bright red and the best part was the top could come down, which it was at the moment. She jumped out of the vehicle just as he came toward her. As always he looked amazing, even in his work clothes, khaki cargo pants with a white t – shirt.

"Hey there handsome" she let out a whistle and winked at him.

"You like what you see, beautiful?" he came up to her and pulled her into his strong arms.

"Oh very much" she went on tiptoe and kissed his mouth. She had intended it to be a short kiss, but as usual they couldn't control themselves. He pulled her closer, ran his hands down her jean clad bottom as she put her arms around his neck and clenched her hands in his hair at the nape. Since she was considerably shorter, he had to really bend and sometimes she worried he would give himself a bad back. She wasn't even wearing her heels today.

She pulled away reluctantly when a passing car honked at them, a group of teenagers whistling, "Woman, you will ruin my reputation" Steve said as he smoothed his hands into the back pocket of her jeans, nicely coping a feel.

"I think we can safely say that both yours and my reputation has been given a nice roll in the mud. And we haven't even had sex yet!" she laughed with him. They had been caught making out so many times now that it was getting embarrassing. It was even more frustrating because she was trying her best to prolong not sleeping with him even though she was dying to. The only reason why she wanted to wait was because she wanted to build a solid relationship with him so that it would mean something to both of them. And she loved him for understanding. More often than her, Steve was the one who pulled back and reminded her of her request.

Hold on. _She loved him?_ She had never been in love before, so she hoped that what she was feeling was love and not just a massive case of lust.

"Okay, let's get this party thing over with, then go get some dinner" Steve pulled her toward the house where the music was coming from.

They actually enjoyed the evening. The party was to celebrate Jackie's thirtieth birthday and the music was mostly the 90's dance music. Sarah made Steve dance; at first he was reluctant and blushed like a little girl. But once he got started, the man had some moves. They danced and chatted most of the time they were there, but left and went for dinner to a Chinese restaurant.

They had just settled down, ordered their meals and beer. Then Steve got serious, "They got Matthew Koloi in Florida and he is being brought back to Hawaii. I spoke with the DA and she is charging him with murder and attempted murder" She watched Steve as he took a sip of his beer.

"Shouldn't he be charged with manslaughter? I mean I don't know anything about the law, but I don't think it was premeditated" she felt nervous all of a sudden. Even with therapy she tried not to think about the shooting.

"Well, we had to give up the investigation once the FBI took over so I'm not sure of the details. But since it involves gangs, I suspect the DA is taking a hard stand" he reached for her hands across the table, " And I am pretty sure I can get any information I need from the investigation. The other thing is that you will most likely have to identify him and testify".

Sarah felt her mouth dry up. She didn't want to relive it and she didn't want to see him. She tried not to let Steve know how she felt because she didn't want to look weak. There was nothing worse than looking like a damsel in distress all the time, "Do you know when this will happen?" she asked.

"Tomorrow Anna Martin will call you. She is the ADA handling the case and you will need to come in to ID him" again he squeezed her hand, "Danny and I will be there with you, so don't stress too much about it".

Just then their dinner came and talked about other things. But throughout she kept thinking. The first few days she had been fine, then she had started having nightmares, she would wake up sweating but wouldn't remember much from the dream except having a gun pointed in her face. She had told her therapist and he told her it was normal to experience nightmares after such a traumatic event, and they would slowly stop.

Well they hadn't stopped; even now she woke up in the middle of the night. At those times she would think of calling Steve, but then again something would stop her. It was too soon in their relationship to burden him with such personal things. Besides they were having fun right now, it would be better to not let reality intrude for a little while longer.


	10. Chapter 10

_**WARNING: This story contains some violence.**_

_**Hi everyone, this chapter as well takes place much before the season finale. Just a heads up to let everyone know that it will be coming. **_

**Chapter Ten**

Steve and Danny reached Sarah's house an hour and a half before they were due at HPD, where she would have to ID Koloi. She had wanted to drive there, but Steve had insisted that he pick her up. Danny had been given the heads up by one of the detectives at HPD that the gang that Koloi belonged to was stirring some kind of trouble. So just to be safe, Sarah needed to be watched.

He rang her bell and heard her calling, "Coming!" a moment later she opened the door. She wore a pair of skinny army green chinos with a tan leather belt and tucked in she wore a loose white cotton shirt open at the collar. She wasn't wearing her heels today, instead she wore purple leather ballet flats and she wore no make – up at all, while her hair was in her usual loose topknot. She looked great as always, but instead of her usual bright smile, her smile lacked the excitement. He knew it was nervousness and dread at the coming few hours.

"Hey baby, you ready to go? I thought we could get some breakfast before heading in to HPD" Steve cupped her face in both his hands and kissed her forehead and then her lips, "Smile for me a little" he whispered, "Don't look so worried, both Danny and I are here". She then smiled as she rested her head against his chest.

"I just want to get this over with" she sighed. Then she pulled herself together, took a deep breath, "Alright, lets do this. I think I'll just have a coffee, I can't face food right now" she went back in the house and grabbed her big tan leather bag with dangly bits from it. Steve marveled at her multitude of bags, every time he saw her she had a different bag and she joked that she had a different bag for each day. He hoped she was joking.

He took her hand as they walked to the car; Danny was waiting next to the car. "Hey" he came and hugged Sarah, "How are you doing?"

"I just want to do this and then never think of it. My arm just hurts thinking about it" she tried to joke, but she was strained and it was obvious.

They went to a small café close to the HPD headquarters, where Steve and Danny tucked into a big breakfast each while Sarah chewed on a butter and jam toast and sweet coffee.

Steve looked at his watch, "Okay, time to go". They all got up and walked toward to HPD building. In the elevator, Steve pulled Sarah close to ease her tension. "Relax" he kissed the side of her head.

They were shown into a small room where a tall, cool blonde in a smart business suit stood looking through some files. When she saw them she smiled, which transformed her face into a beautiful one instead of stern. "Good morning, I'm Anna Martin the ADA working the case" she shook hands first with Sarah, then Danny and then him. When she looked at him, he saw a bit of sexual interest reflecting there, and her smile was different. Steve felt a little uncomfortable.

"So what is required of me today?" Sarah asked the ADA.

"Well for now all you have to do is ID the guy. It will be a lineup since it is a legal requirement. Once that is over, we can talk further. Lets do this one step at a time" she smiled at Sarah.

They were led into a dark room with a large window. Then a moment later a line of men filled the other room, each holding a number. Steve could tell as soon as she spotted Koloi because she tensed up and her hand squeezed his hard. He didn't realize the strength she had in her small body.

"Its number six" she said without hesitating. When prompted by ADA Martin whether she was sure or not she said, "Of course I'm sure, he was a student in my school and he is the one who shot me. I could never forget his face".

They were again ushered into a room with the ADA and the defense lawyer for Koloi. They were legal dealing and they came to the conclusion that he would be charged with murder and attempted murder instead of manslaughter since he was the one carrying the gun.

"We will be having a Grand Jury hearing, where you will be testifying. Since you also ID'd him, that means you will be required to testify to that in the trial" Anna gave Sarah the details and finished by giving her a business card with her office phone number.

As soon as they walked out of the building he felt Sarah take a deep breath, "That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be".

"So I've taken the day off, do you wanna head off to the beach or something?" Steve asked both Sarah and Danny.

"Sure why not" she replied then looked at Danny, "Hey why don't you ask Rachel if we can pick Grace up from School then take her to the beach?"

"Sounds good. Where are we going?" he asked to which Steve replied, "My place".

Danny talked on the phone while they drove, Rachel would be joining them since Stan was out of town again. Steve had noticed Danny wasn't as opposed to Rachel anymore. Maybe they were working things out for Grace's sake.

All of them ended up having a great day at his beach. Since Danny hated the water so much and Sarah didn't know how to swim, Steve took Grace into the water with him, showed her some swimming moves. He really liked the kid, probably she was the only kid he was close to and he secretly loved it when she called him 'Uncle Steve'.

Things got a bit rough when Grace made him pull her father into the water, while Danny dragged in Sarah as well. When she came up sputtering Steve pulled her to him and showed her how to float, while he tried no to laugh. One of these days he would have to teach her to swim.

They had a leisurely dinner on the beach, steaks grilled on the fire with some beer and wine for the ladies, while Grace dozed in her father's lap. They stayed out quite late, just chatting. It was one of the most enjoyable evenings that Steve had spent with Sarah and also with Danny, who by now was one of his best friends.

Sarah and Rachel were in the kitchen, when he and Danny came in after clearing the beach. Soon after Rachel and Danny left with Grace, Sarah and Steve were alone. He looked at her and she looked sleepy and rumpled. He pulled her into his arms and she cuddled there, "You want to go home or stay?"

"I think I'll head home. I need to get a good nights sleep so I can get up early and do my lesson plans" they kissed for a few minutes before they headed to her house.

It was around eleven thirty but Sarah had told him, Alisha and Jack were late sleepers and the porch light was always on till the last person to enter the house switched it off. And it was off now, which was strange. Stranger still was that none of the lights inside the house were on, but Sarah didn't seem to notice. They walked to the front door and one of them stepped onto glass from what looked like the broken porch light.

Automatically Steve drew his back up weapon from his ankle, "Baby stay back, something's not right". He took her keys from her and opened the door. The entire house was dark, but he could make out that it had been ransacked, "Don't come in till I check it out. Call Chin and let him know that your place has been broken into".

He went further into the house; the living room was tossed so he went into the kitchen. What faced him stopped his heart.

A man tied to a dining chair was badly beaten and as he moved closer, Steve recognized that it was Jack. He quickly checked for a pulse but found none. He closed his eyes. He heard a moan and turned toward the sound, it was Alisha and she was lying on the ground, her hands and feet tied together, and she had been badly beaten as well. Steve went to her and quickly untied her, "Hey, its me Steve" when she panicked. She started to cry. He picked her up and carried her outside.

Sarah saw this and her eyes went wide, "Oh my God, what the hell happened?" she asked as he rushed toward them.

"Did you call Chin?"

"Yeah he is bringing the others and the processing team" she brushed back Alisha's hair from her forehead, she had lost consciousness, "Where is Jack?" she asked.

"He didn't make it".

"What?" Sarah started to cry. Steve put Alisha on the seat of his truck and Sarah held onto her hands while she cried quietly, "Poor thing. Oh my God, who would do this Steve?"

His heart was breaking at her expression. A half hour ago she was happy and laughing, now her shoulders were shaking with grief for her friends and he knew she was feeling guilt as well.

He heard Chin and Kono's car stop along with other emergency vehicles, since Steve had called them as well. Alisha was loaded into an ambulance and Sarah went with her, leaving Steve to do his thing.

"Jack's dead. Looks like they tortured him while Alisha watched. I don't think this is a random act of violence. This is a nice neighborhood, stuff like this does not happen". Steve filled Chin and Kono in. "This has to be Koloi's gang. They knew Sarah would ID him and testify in court. She was the real target, when they didn't find her they decided to send a message". Just the thought of it brought chills to Steve and he had to really control his rage and think rationally. His first instinct was to find the son of a bitch who did this and put a bullet in his head, but he knew that wouldn't solve anything.

The ME as well came and declared Jack's death. He had not only been beaten severely, which most probably killed him, they shot him just to make sure. Starting this day, he had never thought it would end this way. The only thought in his head at this moment was, how was he supposed to protect Sarah from all this?

-X-

Sarah was waiting for this nightmare to end. Her arms were bruised because she was pinching herself, trying to wake herself up. Jack was dead, Alisha was in the hospital, and it was all her fault. She should not have agreed to testify, but she had never thought any of this would happen. And the worst thing was that, if she had been home, she would have also been dead.

The doctor had informed her that Alisha had been raped as well as been beaten. It was all probably to torture them both to give up information about Sarah. Like where she was and who she was with. She had no idea whether Jack or Alisha had divulged any information, but at this point that was not her concern. Her main concern was to help her friend cope with the horrendous loss of her fiancé. She wasn't sure if Alisha knew yet, but when she would find out it would be really bad.

Her first thought was to call Alisha's parents. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed their home phone number. She started the call calmly, but started to cry as she talked to her parents. She could hear Alisha's mother crying in the back as she spoke to her father. Then she informed Jack's parents in L.A, which was even worse. They said they would fly out as soon as they could get flights out.

That done she tried to sit in one spot, but her brain was whirling. The nurse came in and told her she could go and see Alisha, but she wasn't ready to face her yet. So she went down to the cafeteria and got a coffee then stood outside with the smokers, bummed a smoke off a guy and had her first smoke since high school. She felt marginally calmer after that.

Her phone rang in her hand; it was Steve, "Hi. Did you find out anything?"

"Yeah, it was definitely Koloi's gang who did this. They were trying to get information on you. If you had been there…" he trailed off and she heard his breathing become unsteady.

"Why did they have to kill Jack?" She asked.

"That was mostly to send a message. These guys are deadly. The problem is it isn't just about the shooting. Your testimony puts Koloi in the position to rat out their other operations in exchange for a deal, which is what they are most nervous about" he paused before continuing, "How is Alisha? Does she know about Jack yet?"

"Steve I cant bring myself to go see her. She was raped" she let out a sob, "and I can't stop thinking, what if it was me?"

"Baby, I'm coming now. What hospital are you at?" she told him and then manned up and went to see Alisha.

She had just woken up and looking around, "Sarah? What's going on? Where am I?"

"Sweetie you're in the hospital. Don't you remember anything?" then memory donned on Alisha.

Her face crumpled, "They killed Jack. Right in front of me, and I couldn't do anything to stop it" Alisha sobbed and Sarah kissed her forehead and held her hand. Probably the healthiest thing to do was to cry, to let all her feelings out. Alisha cried herself into a fitful sleep, so Sarah settled down closer to her, she cradled her head on her shoulder and hugged her closer.

That's how Steve found her. She felt his hand on her shoulder and when she looked up he smiled slightly.

"How is she doing?" he asked as he looked at Alisha's bruised and tearstained face. "Did you tell her about Jack?"

"She already knew. She remembers everything. She cried herself to sleep and when I tried to leave her she tightened her hand on mine" her eyes stung with unshed tears, "How did this nightmare start?"

Steve sat on the chair beside the bed and held her free hand, "You have me here, and you have to be strong for Alisha till her parents come. And you have to believe that I will take care of this".

For the sake of her sanity she had to believe it. She did have complete faith in Steve and she also knew that she could depend on him for any support. She also had the option of calling her parents, but she did not want to worry them.

As if reading her mind Steve said, "I took a chance at pissing you off and called your parents and brother" he didn't look guilty at all. "They are on their way as well as soon as they can get a flight".

She didn't have the strength to be pissed off, "I can get angry at you later, for now you saved me from a massive lecture on why I didn't call them when I got shot".

He smiled at her and kissed her hand, "Come on I'll take you home".

"No I'll stay here till her parents come. She needs someone, she's too traumatized".

"Okay, then I'll stay with you. Do you want a coffee?"

"Thanks for staying. I just had a coffee and a smoke".

"A smoke? I didn't know you smoked".

"Well I don't, but I needed one today".

"Okay, I'll be back in five minutes, there is an HPD cop posted at the door" he kissed her lips and left.

The entire night went by relatively peacefully, Sarah dosed holding Alisha with one arm, while Steve dosed on the chair holding her other hand. A nurse, who said that Alisha's parents were waiting outside to see her, woke them up.

Both Sarah and Steve went and met them, tried to calm them down as much as they could, then let them see their daughter who was still sleeping because of her medication.

Steve then drove her to her place, "Pack up the things you need immediately, you can stay with me" Steve said in a voice that brooked no arguments.

"My parents called and they will be here in a few hours so I can go and stay at the hotel with them".

"Actually its safer for you to stay with me. You need someone with you constantly, besides you don't want to risk others around you" he parked in front of the house. "In fact after you meet your parents, you should advise them to leave. You don't want to draw too much attention".

"Fine. But this is only temporary and we are not telling my parents. My mother will completely freak out if she knew I was living with a man", he actually had the audacity to laugh, so she punched him in the arm.

"Aww"

"As if that hurt your steel arm"

They both laughed, but then her laugh turned into a sob. She couldn't stop thinking that Alisha would never have this with Jack anymore. Steve didn't say anything just held her hand as they walked into the ruined house. It had been processed and had a police tape in the front and back. Sarah gathered as much of her stuff as she could, luckily a lot of her things were still packed, she had just been too lazy and had been living out of a few of her suitcases.

It was nine thirty in the morning when they reached Steve's place. He led her to a room he said was Mary's. Then she unpacked her nightclothes and headed for the shower while Steve said he'd make some coffee.

-X-

Steve was in the kitchen making eggs when Sarah walked in wearing grey sweats and a black NYU T – shirt, her hair was wet and she was barefoot. She looked incredibly sad but adorable. He could see her eyes were red rimmed from a fresh crying jag in the shower.

"Come here" he wanted her next to him, not just to comfort her but to comfort himself as well. When she had told him that Alisha had been raped, his heart had sunk. These guys were hardcore, even though they may be a small gang.

She cuddled into his chest; she fit like she was meant for just this. And when she was there he felt calmer. Till now he had been functioning purely on adrenalin, things needed to be done, people had to be contacted. Now that all the chaos was over, the nightmare was setting in.

"I just want to wake up from this nightmare. In the shower it crossed my mind that maybe coming here was a mistake" she looked up and smiled, touched his face, "But then I wouldn't have met you". They met half way and kissed.

"You need to get some food in you, woman".

"I am surprisingly hungry" so they both tucked into their scrambled eggs and toast. "I'm so sleepy" she yawned.

"Come on, we can both do with some decent sleep", without thinking he led her to his room and they settled onto his bed. He pulled her into his arms as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Please just hold me Steve" her voice quivered, "I'm afraid".

He stroked her hair and her back soothingly, "Its alright to be afraid. All you have to remember is that I am here for you. I will protect you to the best of my ability and I will not let anything happen to you".

Tears flowed from her eyes as he kissed them away, "I think I'm falling in love with you" she whispered so softly that he could hardly believe he heard her. "I never felt like this before and its too soon. But after what happened today and realizing that it could easily have been me, I had to tell you. And its fine if you don't feel the same way. I don't expect it".

Steve's breath hitched. He had never told a woman that he loved her before, "I think I'm falling in love with you too" he kissed her eyes and then her lips, "And I have never felt this way either. All I know is that the thought of something happening to you tears me up inside like never before".

"Oh Steve" she buried her face in his neck and kissed the side of it. He pulled her closer and soothed her.

"Sleep for a while baby. We have a lot to get through soon" Steve held her as she slept. He reached one of his hands under his pillow and felt his gun there.

God help the guy who came to harm her, given the chance Steve would kill him. No regrets.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Thanks a lot for everyone's reviews. The last chapter was quite intense, but I think they needed it, since it was getting a bit too mushy. Hopefully you will continue to like the story and please keep reviewing!**_

**Chapter Eleven**

Sarah woke with a headache. Her head throbbed as if she had a bad hangover. She felt as if her limbs were weighed down and she was sweating. When she tried to lift her head, her hair yanked and she yelped.

"You ok?" It was Steve's sleepy voice. She looked around and his big body surrounded her, so much so that she didn't need any covers. Any other time she would have welcomed it. She had never been in bed with anyone and she had always wondered how it would feel. At the moment she was uncomfortable and she needed to pee.

"No I'm not ok. Your arm is on my hair. And I have to pee" he immediately moved away and she shivered. Okay, on second thought she liked having his big body next to her, now she was cold.

"How about a Good morning kiss?" Steve yawned and smiled at her.

"I have to pee first" she leaped out of his bed and ran into the bathroom, not before she heard him mutter, "Miss. Grumpy". "I heard that" she yelled back at him.

She finished, then washed her hands and brushed her teeth. She saw her reflection in the mirror and was horrified, her eyes had dark circles around them and they were bloodshot from all the crying she had done. Her hair was sticking in all directions and tangled, not what she wanted to look like the first time she woke next to Steve. She heard a knock on the door.

"You finished?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah. Come in" she quickly washed her face and water was dripping down her face when Steve walked in. He wasn't wearing a shirt, just his sweatpants. And he looked delicious. He came up behind her and circled her waist resting his chin on her head. They both looked into the mirror, her face still dripping wet.

"Good Morning beautiful" he smiled at her, bent his head and kissed her shoulder, then removed her hair and kissed the side of her neck. She was very ticklish and she giggled despite everything. "Hmmm, its nice to hear you laugh".

"I don't have much to laugh about right now, but thank you for trying" she turned in his arms and linked her hands behind his back. "So what is the POA for today?"

"The POA for today My Lady is that we go into the DA's office and get your statement ready. Then you have to follow their instructions as to what needs to be done, who you can talk to etc." he kissed her lips softly, played with her lips and slipped his tongue in. They kissed for quite a while and only broke apart when her phone started ringing from the bedroom.

She looked at the screen and it was her brother, "Jay, did you pick mum and dad up?" was her first question.

"Yeah, they're at my place right now. Since you didn't tell me where you were last night, you should come as soon as possible, coz ma is out of her mind and you don't even want to know about dad," her brother replied. She had called him last night and purposely hadn't said whom she was with, only that she was with a friend. It was not because of anything other than Steve had said to be as quiet about her location as she could to protect herself and her family.

"Okay I'll be there in a little while" she hung up and made her way to Mary's room. She got her clothes out and got ready to have a shower.

"I'll drive you there" Steve said as he popped his head in through the door. Before she could argue, "You need to have someone with you and you're crazy if you think I'll let you drive by yourself".

"Fine. This way you can meet my folks too" at least it wouldn't be so awkward when she finally told them about their relationship. But she would have to ask Steve first. They hadn't talked about what their relationship was even though everyone knew they were seeing each other.

Steve came up to her and took hold of her shoulders, "You gonna introduced me as your boyfriend or your bodyguard?"

"What do you want to be introduced as?" She asked in return.

"I was thinking boyfriend. But don't you think I'm too old to be referred to as a boy?" he smiled and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

She smiled back at him, "I think if I referred to you as my Luvvah, you will be facing the business end of a shotgun from both my dad and my brother. So I think the safest thing to say is that you're my boyfriend, even if the boy part offends your manhood".

"Smart ass" he kissed her as she giggled. "Okay now go have a shower while I go downstairs".

She yelped as he swatted her on the butt when she left.

-X-

Steve drove Sarah to her brother's house in an affluent neighborhood of the island. It was more a mansion than a house, and Steve started to realize that she came from a wealthy background. They had never really talked about things like that, except that he knew she came from a mixed family.

When they reached the gate, a guard let them in. the place was magnificent. "Here we go" She muttered as if she were nervous. They got out of his truck and walked up the steps to the massive door, which was opened before Sarah could knock.

A small woman, much the same height as Sarah, with short chic grey hair stood in front of them. She was dressed in what Steve could tell was a designer ensemble of white linen pants and pink cotton tunic. She looked stylish and her lovely face was an exact match to her daughter's who stood next to him. "Oh My baby!" she moved forward and enveloped Sarah in a tight hug. Steve had to fight back his emotions, his mother used to hug them like that. "I just spoke with Alisha and Jack's parents. Poor things, I didn't know what to say. I offered the house to have Jack's wake".

"That's good mum I was going to suggest it but I wasn't sure what Loraine would think" Sarah was still in her mother's arms trying to soak up as much comfort as she could. Steve could see the similarities in mother and daughter, they had the same dark coloring in hair, eyes and complexion. He could even see where Sarah got her sense of style.

Sara's mother then turned to him and smiled, revealing a dimple in her left cheek, "You must be Steven, I'm Anita. I want to thank you for everything you have done for my baby" she came forward and hugged him. Steve felt awkward and caught Sarah's smirk.

"It was a pleasure ma'am" what else could he say. He hadn't really met any parents of the girlfriend and Danny was constantly telling him he had no people skills.

"Come on in kids. Everyone else is in the kitchen. Have you both eaten breakfast?" she had taken over and was in complete mother mode. Again Steve had to push down his sadness.

"Yes ma we ate. Is papa here?" Sarah asked. Just then a big man, burly but not over weight with peppered hair and a worried face met them in the hallway. "Papa" she whispered and ran toward open arms ready to catch her.

"Oh my baby. It's so good to have you in these arms. I've missed you so much" her father was still holding her.

"It's good to see you too papa" Sarah moved away slightly and turned to Steve, "Papa I want to introduce to Steven McGarrett, my boyfriend" she stopped as if waiting for a reaction. But there was none other than a big welcome smile and a handshake.

"Nice to meet you, son. I understand that you are the one taking care of this chaos" Steve shook his hands.

"Initially we had to hand the case over to the FBI since the perp left the island, but now we're back in".

"Well, this is a tragedy, but I am thankful to God that Sarah was safe with you" both of her parents led them into the kitchen where they met her brother and sister – in – law. They stayed with them for a couple of hours but had to leave since they had to be at the DA's office.

On their way Sarah asked, "So what did you think?" they were holding hands and she squeezed his hand, "You don't have to lie, I know my parents can be a bit too full on. It's the Italian and Indian thrown in together to make a special highbred".

He laughed, "I really liked them. They were very hospitable and I could tell they love you very much".

"Yeah well, it can get a little smothering at times. But I know I should be grateful for what I have".

"Yes you should. I never thought I would lose my dad and mom so soon, but I now realize how little time I had with both of them".

They spent the rest of the day working with the ADA. Alisha was brought in as well for her statements. Both Sarah and she would testify. When Sarah had spoken to Alisha and said that she did not have to, Alisha only said that she owed it to Jack to do this.

By the time they finished it was late evening and they decided to head back home. They had been made aware by the FBI, that the gang that Koloi belonged to, was small but very deadly. They were associated with the drug and arms trade and were mostly middlemen, small timers who were deadly so they could prove a point and make a name for themselves. Sarah had been advised to stay with Steve for the duration of the trial.

They headed home and decided to cook dinner instead of getting take-out yet again. It was a collaborative effort and it was the first time that Steve could remember enjoying the process of cooking. She looked great in a pair of denim short shorts and a sleeveless white t – shirt with her hair in a haphazard ponytail and an apron. She was chopping vegetables to put in the stew as he poured their wine.

"You're not just going to stand there are you?" she joked as she passed him a colander full of boiled potatoes.

"I'm looking at you" he flirted with her as he came up behind her and pulled her into his body. "And now I am kissing your neck" he licked her neck and knowing she was ticklish he persisted till she started squirming and giggling.

"Steven I have a knife in my hand!"

He pulled the knife from her hand and put it in the sink. He then proceeded to tickle her ribs, making her laugh. She gasped and tried to get away but he only held on tighter. Damn, she was strong and she wriggled like crazy.

Somehow they ended up on the floor of the kitchen, kissing. Sarah pushed up his t – shirt and tried to get it off. So he decided to help, he moved up slightly, breaking the kiss, yanked off his shirt, then fell on her again like he was a starving man.

Their lips were so close that even air couldn't pass through. Her hands were scouring his back as he pushed up her tank top, somehow managing to get her bra open. He cupped her breasts and dipped his tongue in her mouth, absorbing her moan. She arched her back to bring herself closer to him, her nipples rubbed against his chest as she nipped his lower lip. Her hands sifted through his hair and she held his head as she took over the kiss.

She broke the kiss and panted, "Steve, make love to me please", she looked into his eyes and arched again as she moaned. It was the sexiest thing that Steve had ever seen.

"Are you sure baby?" he panted as well. His heart felt like it would burst and his skin was on fire.

She nodded her head, "Yes. I've waited long enough. I want you to be my first" she kissed his cheek. Steve turned his head and kissed her mouth. He twisted his hand in her hair and held her head still as he ravished her mouth. He knew he was being rough but she only moaned, her hands clutching him to her.

The next thing he knew he was carrying her with her legs wrapped around his waist, her arms around his neck. She was kissing his neck as he carried her to his bedroom. He felt her give him a love bite where his shoulder met his neck, suckling his skin, marking him. Immediately Steve felt himself turn harder than he already was.

"Baby girl, you're making me crazy" he shouldered his door open and collapsed on the bed with her on top.

She spread kisses down his chest and touched him all over, "Hmmm that's the intention. You drive me crazy too, now it's payback time".

"Oh yeah, I'll show you payback" he flipped her as she yelped. He nudged her legs apart and settled between them. He yanked off her shirt and set his mouth on her breasts. He kissed and suckled her as she speared her fingers in his hair to hold him in place.

He was so turned on he was losing his mind. She was sexy and sweet and her natural responses were erotic as hell. The thought that she had never done this before was an even bigger turn on. He had never been territorial, but when it came to Sarah he discovered he was and he enjoyed it. Everything with her was on a primal level, it was instinct rather than logic. And he loved her.

It was just as simple as that. He loved her courage and her compassion. She was friendly and cared about people. And she loved him. He could feel it every time she looked at him or kissed him. They comforted each other just by being in the same room. She was innocence and light that his life had lacked before meeting her. And he thanked the fates for sending her to him.

He felt something buzzing in his cargo pants pocket, then realized it was his phone. He broke their kiss and managed to pull out his phone while supporting himself over her on one arm, "Hello?" he hadn't bothered to look at the caller ID.

"What you've been running the marathon, old man?" it was Danny. Who else would have the knack for calling at the wrong time.

"This better be good, Danno. I'll put a bullet in your ass otherwise" he rested his head against Sarah's naked breasts while she stroked his hair and threaded her fingers through it.

"Ahhh, now I get it. Sorry to interrupt man" he could hear Danny's muffled laugh, "We got a guy jump from a hotel balcony dressed in a cape".

"Okay I'll be ready in fifteen. Pick me up" he disconnected the phone then turned and buried his face in Sarah's neck. He groaned, "I have to go beautiful".

"Go then before my hotness tempts you to stay" she pulled his head up and smiled into his face, "We can finish this when you get back".

They both got up and she snagged his shirt and slipped it on, while Steve rushed into the shower. "I'll make a sandwich and you better eat it" she yelled through the open door.

She headed down to the kitchen and quickly made a sandwich. When he came in he was dressed in his work staple of cargo pants and t – shirt. "I called HPD and they are sending over a protective detail while I'm gone. It shouldn't be too long". The front door opened, and in walked Danny, "Don't you ever knock?"

"Nope" Danny had the audacity to grin, "Hey Sarah. You're looking better"

"Yeah I am feeling better. How's Grace?"

"Doing well and wondering when will be the next time we can see you sputtering in the ocean again".

"This coming from the man who hates the water" she teased him back.

Danny just winked at her, "Touché. Point taken. So can I take your man off your hands for a little while?"

"Yes you may. He's been hassling me all day" she smiled over at Steve who looked miffed.

He pointed his finger at Danny, "You get in the car", then he turned to Sarah, "You shut up and kiss me".

"Be safe and come back soon" they kissed deeply before he turned and left.

"So I take it that you two did the dirty" Danny smiled slyly.

"It's none of your business but no we didn't. Your impeccable timing made sure that nothing happened" Steve took over and decided he wanted to drive.

Danny laughed out loud, "No wonder you looked so pissed off just now"

"Yeah well, wait till it's your turn".

_**Just to let you guys know I wasn't too happy with this chapter, I can't put my finger on what it was, but if you can pick it out please review and let me know. Thanks everyone. Next chapter coming soon!**_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

The trial of Matthew Koloi, the boy who had shot Sarah and killed another student, ran for two weeks. It was an open and shut case, especially with Alisha's testimony of what had happened to her. The Five – o Taskforce, had also arrested the gang members responsible for the death of Jack and their trials would be held the following month. Koloi had been found guilty and he would be sentenced the week after.

For the last two weeks, Sarah had been living at Steve's place and Alisha had moved into a rented serviced apartment with her parents. She planned to leave as soon as the trial was over and head back to L.A.

Sarah and Steve had again fallen into a routine, and there had been no talk of her moving out soon, even though she had been looking at apartments without really telling him. Maybe he didn't want to say anything to her, and she wanted to avoid any awkwardness. Also they had been sleeping in the same bed but had still not had sex.

The one night that they had come close to, Danny had interrupted them. In a way she had been happy, because her mind would be clear when she decided to have sex and not be clouded by grief. At the time it may have been the fact that emotionally she had been wonky. And Steve had not brought it up either. When he had come back late that night, she had been asleep on the couch, so he had carried her to his room, snuggled next to her and gone off to sleep. Even when they woke in the morning, none of them had broached the subject, just gone on like nothing had happened.

Sarah wished that he would bring it up. Or act in a way that would make her believe that he wanted it too. Increasingly he had seemed too stressed and she had not said anything. The way he used to make out with her had also cooled down. Maybe it was his work; she had no idea since he never really said anything.

She had noticed, at night he would get up and leave for a few hours. She had gone searching one night and found him sitting in the dining room with files, photographs and objects strewn around. It all looked like evidence of some sort, and he looked deep in thought so she didn't disturb him.

What worried her the most was that he seemed distant. Even in the evenings for dinner, either Danny or all of the team would join them. Many nights when they decided to eat out, she would make the excuse she had schoolwork and didn't join them for dinner, and Steve always brought dinner for her. They hardly spent any alone time now, they were always busy.

She knew that their relationship was too new for it to have run its course. On the other hand she had no experience in a relationship like this, so she wasn't sure and she didn't really have anyone to talk to. Maybe she could talk to Danny, he was the closest to Steve and if something was bothering him, Danny would most probably know.

She dialed Danny's number from her cell phone, "Hey Danny its Sarah".

"Hey, what's up? Do you need to speak to Steve?"

"No, no that's fine. I actually want to speak to you" she took a deep breath, "Is he doing ok?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know is he too stressed at work? He's just not the same and I was a bit worried".

"As far as I know he hasn't been working on anything that stressful. Although he is working on the whole Wo Fat case".

"Wo Fat case?"

"Oh so he hasn't told you" she heard him pause, "Look I don't think I should say anything. But maybe you should talk to him when he comes home tonight. It's not good for him to not share with you. I know I made the same mistake with Rachel".

"Okay, I'll see how it goes" she sighed, "Just don't tell Steve I spoke to you about this alright?"

"My lips are sealed. You take care and let me know if he's giving you a hard time, Okay?"

She laughed, "Okay, Danno. Say hi to Grace for me". She hung up and looked at her watch. It was time for her class.

-X-

Steve was sitting in his office going over the contents of a manila envelope. Every Wednesday, like clockwork it arrived with more evidence from his fathers red toolbox. Again it had arrived just when he was getting ready to leave for home. So here he sat, it was close to eleven P.M and he was going through all the stuff he had been sent so far.

The door to his office opened and Danny poked his head in, "What are you still doing here? I thought you left" Steve asked him.

"I should be asking the same thing" Danny came and took a seat in front of him, "I came to pick up something I got for Grace, I left it here".

"I got another envelope full of stuff from the toolbox" he showed Danny what he had been sent, "I was just going through it".

"You can even do this back home".

"What's with you pushing me to go home?"

"I was just thinking of the little lady sitting at your place, worried about you".

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Danny laughed at him, "You are such a robot sometimes. I thought you were supposed to be this ninja, aware of everything around you. All I'm saying is that Sarah called today".

"Why would she call you?"

"Hey, I have known to be popular with the ladies, so its not so strange for her to call me" he defended himself, "She wanted to know if you were okay. And she had no idea who Wo Fat was".

Steve rubbed his eyes, "I purposely didn't tell her. She doesn't need to know".

"Dude, that's where you're wrong. Wo Fat is now becoming a gigantic part of your life, but you don't want it to become bigger than Sarah. If you want to keep her you must tell her. I made the same mistake with Rachel" Danny started waving his arms around like he did when he gave his speeches.

Steve thought about it. Maybe it would be better if he told Sarah. He was finding it hard to sleep at night, his mind was constantly working and he had no respite from thoughts of Wo Fat.

Another thing that bothered him was that Sarah hadn't brought up the whole sex issue again. One minute she had been so hot for him and the next she had completely avoided the issue. And he had no idea how to bring it up without making her feel pressured. Besides they had been so busy. She had the trial to worry about, plus she had all the catch up work for her school. And he had been busy working on the Wo Fat case. On the evenings it was easier to hang out with everyone and not just her, only so he could cope with the wanting. He wanted nothing better than spend the evening with her alone, and end it in bed with both of them hot, sweaty and satisfied.

"I know what you mean, but it's much safer if she doesn't know anything" he could see Danny was going to argue, "What good is it going to do her except stress her out?"

"You're right, but you don't have to give her details. All she needs to know is that you're not shutting her out" Danny got off the chair, "Just think about it. Don't go all Secret Agent Man of Mystery on her".

After he left, Steve had to agree that Danny had a point. Maybe tonight he would tell her. He decided to pack up all the stuff and take it home.

He reached home and got out of his truck, Sarah's Jeep was in the driveway, as expected. It was late at night and most probably she would be asleep. He quietly let himself in and decide to quickly make himself a sandwich before heading to the study and working some more.

But before he could do any of that, he had to adjust to the sight before him. It was Sarah and all she wore was a white dress shirt of his, her hair open, making her look sexy as hell. She was standing in the kitchen looking at him but not saying anything. There was a bottle of wine on the counter with two glasses full of red wine. She picked up one glass and walked up to him.

"You're late" she handed him the glass, reached up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. Steve was fairly speechless; the whole situation was very sexy.

"I'm here now", as she was moving away he snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her into his hardness. He put the glass on the table, then with his free hand cupped her face and kissed her hard. He slanted his mouth on hers, parting her lips and plunging his tongue in her mouth. He tangled his hand in her hair and held her head steady, his mouth eating at hers. He wanted to be gentle but he wasn't in a gentle mood. He was hungry for her and nothing would satisfy him until he was inside her.

She gasped for breath and pulled her lips from his, Steve only buried his head in her neck and bit her, then licked it to soothe her. "Steve" was all she could get out before he took possession of her mouth again. He picked her up and she wound her legs around him, her arms clinging to his neck, her hands clutching his hair.

He reached the bedroom and dropped her on the bed. He stood and looked at her lying on the bed. He watched her sit up and slowly unbutton his shirt she wore, all the while not taking her eyes off him and blushing. He smiled at her and she smiled sweetly back at him, although he knew his smile wasn't sweet in any way. He was in no mood to be sweet. He wanted to devour her.

He mirrored her actions and stripped off his t – shirt, he saw her eyes roaming his broad chest and he already knew she loved touching him. Her shirt was completely unbuttoned and he could see her breasts and the tiny panties she wore. "Take it all off" he growled. He wished he could slow down, be more romantic but he was way past slow and easy, and so was she.

She followed his instructions and pushed the shirt off her shoulders exposing the rest of her lovely body. She wasn't skinny and model thin, but she was a real woman, there was meat on her bones and Steve knew she wouldn't break , even though she was small. He loved her curves and loved it even more that she was comfortable with herself. Because of the recent stress she had lost some weight but it was still not that much that she would lose her gorgeous curves.

He approached the bed and went on his hands and knees, crawled onto the bed, while she reclined, both never taking their eyes off each other. Steve knew it in his bones, there was no turning back now.

-X-

Sarah watched as Steve approached the bed. He reminded her of a sleek jaguar prowling toward her. Her breath hitched in her throat, he looked so sexy. She lay back on the bed as he climbed over her, never taking his eyes off her.

She was slightly nervous, but she knew he would never hurt her and if she was to stop him now, he would. It had excited her when he growled for her to remove her clothes. A shiver went down her spine just thinking about it. This was so different from the other night. Then she had been controlling the lovemaking; tonight Steve was clearly in control. And she liked it.

"I missed you" she told him as she touched his face, tracing his lips.

He kissed her palm then took her finger in his mouth, "I missed you too, baby". He kissed her mouth while his hands skimmed down her body. His hands slipped under her panties and cupped her bottom. Her legs fell apart and he settled more comfortably between them. "I'm going to make love to you" he said as his eyes turned a dark midnight blue.

"Yes" was all she could gasp out, "Make love to me".

The next thing she knew they were both naked. His hard body covered hers and she loved the friction that was produced when her breasts brushed his hair-roughened chest. She ran her hands down his back, loving the feel of hard muscle under smooth skin, and she traced the tattoos on his shoulders, kissing his neck and shoulders. She played with the hair at his nape, while he trailed kisses from her neck to her breasts, where he suckled her hard. She arched her back and moaned, she had never experienced anything so arousing in her life. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, her skin felt tight and her body felt heavy.

"Wrap your legs around me" he roughly growled at her again. She loved it when he growled, "I can't wait anymore".

She did what he said, again feeling a thrill. His big hands went around her thighs and parted her legs further, then without further delay, took her mouth at the same time he entered her.

At first she felt a sharp pain, but it soon subsided leaving a feeling of fullness within her. She heard him groan, "Baby, I'm sorry".

"I'm fine, it will get better soon" he hadn't moved, holding himself still.

"I should be the one saying that" he said as he laughed slightly, he lifted his head and looked into her eyes, his going blue, "You feel so good. I feel like I'm in heaven".

"I feel strange but it's a good strange" she lifted her head and kissed him, "Just keep doing what you're doing. I feel incredible".

-X-

When Steve had entered her, he felt her gasp and knew he was hurting her. But instead of crying or making a big deal like she deserved to, she was comforting him. He struggled to hold himself still, so he could let her adjust.

But no, his impatient little lady, was wriggling around and unconsciously moving her hips in such a way that made him groan and burry his head in her neck. He gave her a love bite then soothed it with his tongue.

He couldn't bear it anymore and started to move, "Move with me baby" he instructed her and she followed. He had never really been one to order women around especially in bed. But with Sarah it felt natural to take the lead and she responded as if she enjoyed it. In the time he had known her, he knew she was not a doormat; she was independent and would normally resist any kind of command on his or any one else's part. But in bed she clearly didn't mind it.

He threaded their hands together, "Hold on baby". He then started to move into her. She gasped, closed her eyes and threw back her head, "No, Look at me. Keep your gorgeous eyes on me, beautiful" and she did. She kept looking at him as she moved with him.

"Oh God, Steve. It's too much" Sarah tossed her head; she was totally out of control.

Steve thrust harder into her; he held her head in his big hands and kissed her roughly. Both of them panted, as they got closer. Sarah moved her face away, and bit his shoulder hard, he knew this was it. He threw his head back and groaned his pleasure.

For the next few minutes, it was like they were both paralyzed. Steve couldn't hold himself up any longer and just collapsed on Sarah, kissing her neck, while pulling her closer to himself. He realized he must be heavy for her, so when he went to move, she tightened her arms and legs around him, "No, don't move".

"Baby, I'm crushing you" he looked into her eyes and she looked relaxed and sleepy.

"Hmmm, you feel like a nice warm furry blanket" she petted his chest as she said this.

"Furry?"

"I said furry not hairy" she laughed at him, "It was a complement. Believe me a girl doesn't like buffed hairless chests. Yours is a mans chest" she stroked his back.

"In that case thank you. You're not so bad either" he was nuzzling her fragrant neck and she arched to give him more access. His statement earned him a healthy yank on his chest hair, "Aww, I thought you like my furry chest, now you're gonna render me bald".

"What do you mean not bad?" she had smile on her face as she said this.

"I was teasing" he licked the edges of her lips, then kissed each corner, "You're beautiful and amazing. I cant believe we just made love".

"I know, after waiting so long".

"So was it what you had expected?"

"I don't know what I had expected. I'm just happy it happened with you and that it was great and I will never forget it" she touched his nose and he tried to catch her fingers with his mouth.

"Danny told me you called him" he grabbed her hand and kissed her palm.

"Remind me to shoot the guy. I told him not to tell you" she couldn't stop touching him. She was like a cat, wanting to rub against him.

"I'm glad he did. Otherwise I would never have found out you were worried about me".

She looked away, "It just felt like you were a little distant but I didn't want to say anything. I have never had a relationship so I didn't know what to say".

Steve touched her chin and moved her to face him, "Baby, I was just wondering why you never said anything after that amazing night. And I never brought it up because I didn't want you to think I was pressuring you". He bent his head to kiss her over the heart on her breast, "Danny gave me some advice. He told me never to leave you out of the loop. And you've been right that I am a bit stressed because of something more personal than a case".

As Steve lay back and took her in his arms, Sarah propped her chin on his chest and listened to him intently. He told her about Wo Fat and the connection to his parents deaths. He played with her hands and hair while talking, and he loved that she remained quiet, letting him finish.

When he did finish, she sat up in all her naked glory, not shy. She leaned over him, taking his face in her hands, "I'm sorry for what happened to you and Mary. I love you and understand that this is something you need to do" she kissed his mouth, "But promise me one thing, if things get too serious and you think you're in trouble, don't risk it".

He looked at her but never said anything, so she continued, "Think of Mary. He's already taken so much from you both and its not worth it to lose everything. You guys are the only family you have left. I know its not my place to say anything but I just wanted to let you know".

Steve reached up and pulled her down. They kissed and he rolled her over so he was on top once again, "I love you. And I appreciate what you just said to me. And I will do my best to keep both Mary and you safe from Wo Fat or anyone who threatens you guys".

He kissed her and distracted her by making love to her again. He was completely aware that he had not promised her anything.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Sarah was smiling from the deck, waving at him. She looked relaxed and comfortable in a white cotton maxi dress, her black hair open and flying in the breeze. He had just come out of the water and was walking toward her.

She moved down the deck stairs and when she reached the garden, she lifted the dress to reveal electric blue painted bare toes. She said nothing as she stopped and just looked at him, a small smile on her face. She slowly lifted her hand up and blew him a kiss, making him laugh; he pretended to catch it and blew her a kiss back. Her body jerked as if someone had pushed her from the back.

The next thing he knew there was a dark red stain spreading on the front of her beautiful white dress. Sarah looked down and touched it as her smile faded, tears filled her eyes. She looked at him, "Steve?" and she collapsed.

-X-

"NO!" Steve jerked awake, he was panting, his chest hurt and it was wet with sweat. Next to him Sarah woke and sleepily asked him what happened. When he didn't reply, she moved behind him on the bed and took him in her arms.

"Shhh. You're sweating" She cradled his head on her chest and stoked his wet hair, crooning soothingly to him. "What's wrong?"

He buried his face in her throat and breathed in her scent. She smelt alive and he soaked in her warmth. "It was nothing baby. Just a bad dream". Steve pushed her down on the bed and kissed her hard.

Steve watched as Sarah slept. He just couldn't go back to sleep so he got up, got dressed in an old Naval Academy t – shirt, shorts and running shoes. It was time to go for a run; not a long one but long enough to clear his head.

He would often have dreams where he would envision his mother's car blowing up, or his father being shot. But he had never had a nightmare about a woman he was in a relationship with.

Granted he had never been in love before, but he had never expected this. For some reason he had this fear that he was about to lose her. He and Mary had lost their entire family, and he knew for a fact that she had not coped well. He wasn't sure if he could cope if he lost Sarah as well.

Before he had this dream, he had not thought of how serious they had become in so short a time. He was actually proud of how he had not freaked out. For a guy who had never been too serious about one woman in particular, he was doing quite well.

He looked at his watch as he ran. He came to one decision. He needed to keep Sarah safe like he did Mary. And the only way he could do that is if he could get her off the island and back home in New York. He also knew he would not be able to convince her; she was extremely stubborn. He would have to do something drastic to make her leave a life she had come to love.

-X-

Sarah was not sure how she was feeling. She was generally happy, but something was not right. And that had to do mostly with Steve's behavior. In the last week, he had become increasingly preoccupied, he worked late into the night and came to bed when she was asleep and got up to run before she woke up. They hardly spent any time with each other and she knew it was because of his work.

She never said anything because of that reason. He was worried about Wo Fat; he had already asked Mary to go back to the mainland, although not back to L.A. Because of all this stress, things were a little awkward between them. For one he had never mentioned anything about their night together, they had not even had sex again after that.

She was in the kitchen cutting up some veggies to go with the steaks Steve loved, while she had a glass of wine and finished correcting some essays. It was seven thirty and she knew he would be back soon. Just then she heard the front door open and in walked the man of her dreams.

"Hey there sailor" she came up to him, stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.

"Hey", he didn't say anything more and moved into the kitchen toward the fridge. He pulled out a bottle of water and drank the entire thing in a couple of gulps. She couldn't help but notice that he looked tired and stressed.

"Why don't you go have a shower? I have steaks ready to go on the grill and a couple bottles of beer chilling in the fridge. How does that sound?" she smiled at him.

He just gave her a half smile, grunted, "sounds fine" and headed up the stairs.

She started to feel uncomfortable. Had she done something? She was so new to this, she didn't know how to handle a situation like this. So she waited for him to come down and then she would ask him. It was best to be honest.

Fifteen minutes later Steve walked in the kitchen while she was reading an essay. He looked positively edible, dressed only in a pair of sweats. Again he did not say anything, just went to the fridge and pulled out a beer. He stood at the window and pensively looked out as he sipped from the bottle.

"Steve, is everything ok?" she asked him as she came up behind him. She touched his shoulder and kissed the middle of his back.

"Depends on your definition of okay".

"Oh God, its to do with Wo Fat isn't it? Is Mary alright?"

"Mary is fine".

"Steve, please tell me what's wrong" she hoped he would tell her soon because he was starting to scare her, "Is it me? Did I do something?"

His bark of laughter startled her, he had never behaved like this, "You could say that".

Oh gosh this wasn't good. It was not recommended for anyone to reach the age of twenty-four without having at least one relationship under their belt. Just so they could deal with situations like this.

He turned to her and leaned on the counter, took another sip of his beer, "You've just taken over my life. Cooking in the kitchen, living in my house", the smile he gave her was one she had never seen. "You know, I never thought you were one of those women who would insinuate yourself into a guys life and then he gets so blinded, marriage follows. Probably following a pregnancy scare".

She couldn't believe the words coming out his mouth, "Are you hearing yourself?" she moved backwards, "You really think I am like that?"

"Why not? All women are pretty much the same" he followed her at a slower pace, and when he spoke he had a sardonic half smile on his face, his eyes glinting hard and his expression was one of deep suspicion. One she imagined him using on one of his suspects while questioning, "Don't think that just because I was the first man to sleep with you, I'm not going to recognize what you're been doing. Shame on you Sarah, I expected better of you".

"Steven what are you talking about?" she could hear her voice quivering and her eyes sting with tears. She immediately recognized that if she cried in front of him, she would become weaker than she already was in his eyes.

He kept coming closer, as if stalking her, "So the little meeting at the club wasn't planned?"

"No! I never knew who you were. I had never seen you in my life. The only reason I approached you was because of that stupid dare from Natalie".

"Stop with the innocent act. The only thing innocent about you is that you had never f – " She couldn't take it anymore and she slapped him across the face.

"You stop it. What the hell has gotten into you?"

"Common sense!" he shouted at her. It was as if the slap had never happened. Damn it her hand hurt from hitting him. "I should be kicking myself for trusting you the way I did, when all the while you have been connected to Wo Fat!"

"Are you listening to yourself?" this time she refused to cower and she shouted back at him.

"Sarah Morrissey. Daughter of Salvatore Morrissey, a.k.a Moretti".

"My father is Salvatore Morrissey, but he has no a.k.a attached to his name".

He moved away from her and walked to where he had dropped a manila envelope, "Oh really?" he opened the envelope and pulled out a file, which he threw on the table. "After seeing this you expect me to believe a word that comes out of your deceiving mouth?"

She tried to blank out his insane, hateful words and looked at the file. It was a collection of police and intelligence reports on a man named Moretti. That was all he was known as. According to the words in the file, he was a hit man for one of the Jersey mobs, was small time but only by choice. He had a family, a wife, son and a daughter. And right there was a faded picture of her father, looking about twenty – five, dressed in a leather jacket and jeans leaving a shady looking bar and in tow was a slickly dressed man who could very well be recognized as the head of the Gaucci mob. They were famous in New York and Jersey, and Sarah knew the daughter, Nicolette. They had been in school together but had never been close.

"This cannot be right. If my father were a criminal he would have been arrested by now. We would have known" she looked up at Steve and his expression was closed.

"Oh he was arrested, princess. The only reason he was never convicted was because there was never enough evidence against him" he paused to see her reaction, which was stunned disbelief, "And guess what? The Gaucci's are directly tied to Wo Fat. They do all his dirty work in New York".

"And you think I was sent to trap you?" she asked as the entire situation settled on her. Her chest hurt with immense pain and sadness.

"You really think I'm stupid enough to believe anything else?" he asked her sarcastically.

"Yes!" she shouted back at him, "For a man who is supposed to be so intelligent, you are a big idiot. Do you think I planned to get myself shot and have the lives of my roommates ruined?"

Something flickered in his eyes, but it was gone. "I can arrest you right now. The only thing stopping me is that I have no evidence against you to confirm anything other than you are Moretti's daughter". Steve's voice was cold, and his eyes were like ice chips.

She had wanted to be strong, but she could feel the tears falling from her eyes. "So all these weeks have meant nothing to you?" she whispered. She had not actually meant for him to hear it, but he had. Her legs weakened and she had to sit down on one of the dining room chairs.

"Well apart from the fact that I had fun. It was different". The pain in her chest grew almost unbearable. She closed her eyes.

"So you lied when you said you loved me" her voice was barely more than a whisper, "How long have you known about this?" she asked pointing to the file on the table.

"I've known about this for a long time baby" he looked smug as he folded his arms in front of him. He looked big and scary. She wanted her Steve back. The one who would tease her and kiss her. The Steve who would never look at her, as if she were an insect under his shoe.

She wanted to defend herself, but she knew she was no match to him. She was still trying to get her head around the information about her father. It was all there in black and white. She wanted to ignore it, but she couldn't.

"What do you want me to say?" she asked him helplessly, "I don't know what all this is about".

"How about you start with the truth?"

She laughed, "The truth? I don't know what that is anymore. My father is a fucking mobster, the man I am in love with has been lying to me all along" she stopped and looked at him. "You see Steven, unlike you I cannot turn my feelings on and off" she paused to take a breath, "I'm going upstairs to pack and then I am leaving". Without another word she left the room, her heart breaking and her vision blurred from the tears she had been trying hard to fight.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Steve jerked out of bed again. It was the same dream, Sarah looking happy one minute and the next minute she was bleeding from a gunshot wound. Only this time she looked at him and said, "You did this to me" before she died in his arms.

It had been a week since she had left and not one night had he had a peaceful sleep. He had gone out last night, somehow landing up in the same place where he had first met Sarah. There he proceeded to get himself drunk, he'd had to call Danny to pick him since he was in no fit state to drive. As a result he had a monster hangover and his guilty conscience was still in place.

Initially all he had wanted was to tell her to take a leave of absence from her school, it could be arranged that she still had her job when she came back. They would be given an explanation as to why she needed to be away. In fact he had gone to work that fateful day thinking that the first thing he needed to do was contact the governor for this favour. So when Jenna Kaye had hit him with news of Moretti he had been completely unprepared.

She had shown him the file and immediately he had recognised Sal. At first Steve wanted to think of it as mistake. He couldn't believe it. He had met the man and he had liked him. The love this man had for his family was amazing and he had recognised it. But now everything was different. Salvatore Moretti or Morrissey was a killer; an assassin for the mob and his daughter was right under his nose and sleeping in his bed.

He could still remember Danny saying, "Steven you need to be really sure before you accuse her of anything".

He had looked at him, "How can I not be sure. The truth is staring me right in the face Danno".

"So you think the shooting at the school was all planned? You've lost your ever-loving mind. Have you considered the fact that she may have not known who her father was?" Danny tried his best to drill some sense into him, but he already knew he could not bring himself to believe it.

The sense of betrayal that came over him was something he had never felt in his life. He knew that from now he would have to be careful. Which now in hind sight he hadn't, he had completely lost control when he had gone home and seen her sweet face smiling at him, cooking in his kitchen looking like a domestic goddess in her sexy shorts and apron.

Sarah had blinded him with lust and passion. He thought he was in love with her but it was nothing but a trap for him and he like an idiot had walked straight into it. During the past week, he would all of a sudden have pangs of guilt, the way he had completely cut her out of his life. But then he would think back to the file he had found on her. For god's sake she had gone to the same school as Gaucci's daughter Nicolette. How could he believe that she was innocent?

And then as soon as that thought entered his head, he would see her as she was in the kitchen after he had so coldly thrown accusations at her. At first she had looked shocked, even slapped him in anger. But then that anger had faded into something he had only seen once. His father had looked like that when his mother had died. Broken; he couldn't use any other word to describe it.

"What if you were wrong?" the conscience in his head whispered.

No he had to be strong and get through this. Every day they were coming closer to getting Wo Fat and he couldn't afford any distractions. Just yesterday Sang Men had surrendered because he feared Wo Fat. He had warned them that he was coming. So now Steve had to strategise in order to get his man.

He got up from the bed, it was only three forty, and so he decided to go for a run. He had never thought he would get used to having someone sleeping next to him. And now that that someone had gone away, so had his sleep and peace of mind. He jogged for over an hour, torturing himself with thoughts of Sarah, her sad eyes, when she had left. He had been standing on the beach as she had packed, and when he had come back in, she had been gone.

It was as if she had never been there. His room was empty of her clutter, the bathroom counter held none of her toiletries and make – up. Her clothes had disappeared from his closet and Mary's room. There was no trace of her. He felt ashamed of the way he had scoured his house after she had left, looking for bugs she may have planted.

He came back and had a shower, then got dressed. He would drive himself to work early; he couldn't sit in the house. As he opened one of his dresser draws to take out a t – shirt, he pulled out a piece of paper sticking out.

His breath hitched, because it wasn't a piece of paper, but a Polaroid photograph of Sarah and him, sitting on the beach. He was looking toward the camera with a goofy smile on her face while she sat in his lap, her arms around his neck. But it was her expression that got to him. She had her eyes closed as she rested her forehead against the side of his face, as if nuzzling him, a small sweet smile on her lips. One of her hands very delicately curved around his jaw as if she were reverently touching him.

He closed his eyes and thought about that day. It was the night when Alisha and Jack had been attacked. Danny, Rachel and Grace had been with them while they had dinner on the beach. Apart from the obvious tragedy, it had been one of the best days he could remember in a long time.

He quickly put the picture back in the drawer and pulled out a grey Polo t – shirt and dark cargo pants. What was done was done; it was time to move on. Work needed to be done and he couldn't do it if he was moping around, feeling sorry for himself.

-X-

Danny walked into the office dreading the day. Ever since Steve had cut Sarah out of his life, he had been a nightmare to work with. He took chances and was more reckless than usual, like he had nothing to live for and he didn't care what happened to him. He was worse than how he was before. And Danny made sure he reminded Steve of that every chance he got.

He personally felt that Steve had wronged Sarah and had been shot down many a time by him, when he tried to defend her. Danny trusted his instincts about people and he knew that she was not involved. In fact she most probably had no knowledge of what her father had been involved in.

But who was to tell the big idiot. He refused to listen to anyone. He knew even Mary had called and asked about what had happened, and when she had mentioned how much she had liked Sarah, Steve had told her in a cold voice to never mention that name again. They had all been told that.

Danny thought of calling Sarah and speaking to her, but he knew that if Steve ever found out, he would never hear the end of it and it would damage their working relationship. So he did the sneaky thing, he asked Rachel to call her.

"She doesn't want to talk about him" She had told him in her sexy English accent. "Instead all she did was ask about Grace and how things were going between us".

"He's a fucking moron. He never even gave her a chance to defend herself" Danny looked at Rachel and thanked his lucky stars that things had worked out between them. She had still to tell Stan, but he knew that whatever happened from here on out, at least he had his family back.

He had been genuinely happy for Steve when things between him and Sarah had gotten serious. Although he had worried that they had moved too fast, but everyone was different. Rachel and him had moved faster than them when they had first met.

Steve had changed when he was with her. His demeanour toward her was loving and he listened to what she said to him. Danny would catch him sometimes texting on his phone with a goofy smile on his face. And the funniest thing was that Steve carried a brown paper bag with his lunch in it. In fact the first time that had happened Danny had teased Steve mercilessly, so had Kono and Chin.

He missed that Steve. Even with all the problems he was still care free and enjoyed life. But in the last week, his always laser precision focus had become even more intense. All he talked about was Wo Fat and what needed to be done to get the guy.

Danny couldn't help but be worried about him.

-X-

Sarah felt her life unravel around her. Not only had she lost the first man she had dared to love, she learnt about her father's secret past.

The first thing she did after she left Steve's place was to go to her brother's house. Apparently Jay had known all along, he had discovered it when he was in college and had been approached by one of Gaucci's men to start something out with the college gambling circuit. He had refused and confronted their father.

Sarah had noticed their relationship was strained but she had never paid any attention to that. Their father had insisted that he was legit now, but Jay had refused to believe it. He refused to believe that anyone who worked for the Gaucci's got out of the family business without losing a limb. In fact the only reason Jay had been spared after refusing was because of the connection with their father.

Sarah then went to New York. She had already resigned from her job. When they had asked why, she had said it was because of the shooting and that she could not cope with being here.

She had not told her parents she was coming, and surprised them. Her father had given her a bear hug and when he noticed she had not hugged him back his big smiled faded.

"What's the matter my baby?" he asked her while her mother came and hugged her as well. "Where is your luggage?"

She didn't answer and moved to sit on the kitchen counter, "I am staying at a hotel for the time being".

"Why would you want to do that?" this time it was her mother.

"Because I cannot spend one more minute in a house filled with liars" she was surprisingly calm while she scanned her parents' expressions. They both looked guilty.

Then her mother spoke, "What are you talking about darling?" she got busy in the kitchen as if nothing was wrong.

Her father on the other hand had a defeated look on his face, "Honey, who are we kidding? Jay found out and it was only a matter of time she would too".

"Actually interestingly enough it wasn't Jay who told me. It was Steven" she couldn't believe she was saying this even as the words were coming out of her mouth, "After he accused me of being a pawn in trapping him for a gangster named Wo Fat".

The expression on Salvatore Morrissey's face darkened, "Wo Fat?"

"Do you know who he is?"

"Yes I know who he is and why is your boyfriend involved with him?"

"My ex boyfriend. And he isn't involved with him. Wo Fat murdered his parents" she looked at her father, "So you're not denying anything, which means its true?"

He came to her and held her by the shoulders; "Baby, that was a long time ago and I left that side of my life after I married your mother".

"But you did kill people, papa" she choked up as she said the words. "How can I look at you the same way?"

She got off the stool and looked at her parents, "Ma and Papa, my life recently has been a big mess. But I am not coming back home. In fact I am not sure where I am going at the moment, but I need to get away".

"Will you call us to let us know you're okay?" her mother had tears in her eyes, but Sarah did not hug her or approach her. In her eyes she was also a guilty party.

"I am not sure yet. But I will let Jay know. But please whatever you do, don't try and contact me for a while".

Sarah turned away and headed for the door, heading for her hotel, nothing fancy but a small clean one. She had applied to teach in Italy last year, and had not heard from them in spite of going through two interviews.

But as a God send she had received a call from the agency the day she was leaving Hawaii, still not sure what she was going to do. Once she had heard the deal, teach English at a language school in a small village near Rome, and the money was good, she had said yes without any hesitation.

After all what did she have left here in America? Her family was based on a lie; her relationship with Steve had been based on a lie. So the best course of action was to leave America all together. She had a EU passport because her father was of Italian decent, so she didn't have to worry about her visa running out. The world was her playground and she would make the most of it. It had always been a dream of hers to live a bohemian life in Europe, so here was the perfect chance.

A little voice said in her head, "Then why do you feel like shit?"


	15. Chapter 15

_**Hi everyone thanks for the reviews and from them I can tell you guys have liked the story so far. Hope I continue to make you guys like the story.**_

**Chapter 15**

**Two Months Later**

It had been enough time for Sarah to build a routine in Rome. Initially she had thought she would be going to a village near Rome, but last minute her placement had been relocated to the main city. She had actually liked that better, not wanting to be stuck in some poky little village where the job was only contractual, not permanent like now. Because of her Italian background, she did not need a working permit, and they had offered her the permanent position. It was the chance that Sarah had been waiting for.

At this point she had no contact with anyone except her brother Jay. He gave her all the information she needed, which she had asked for him to keep to a minimum. She wanted to cut off all contact but somehow she couldn't.

She had thought it was initially an over reaction, but she realized that it was not just the situation with Steve that had made her leave everything, but also the situation with her father. She missed him and her mother everyday. She always thought of them and she constantly looked at the picture of her parents on her bedside table, then cried. She wanted to feel her papa's big strong arms around her and her mothers soft kiss on her cheek. She missed her brother and even Loraine.

But most of all she missed one man. Steven J. McGarrett. When he had become such a huge part of her world, she had no idea. It had happened so fast, and it had crossed her mind that it wasn't normal. No one fell in love so soon. But she had and look what it got her. She had made a complete fool of herself, and like a coward had run away from everything.

Sometimes she berated herself for running away. But then she told herself that she had always wanted to travel. The reason she had gone to Hawaii was because of that. Coming to Rome was a little advanced but it was something that she had been planning for a while.

Little did she know that her life would change when she went to Hawaii.

During the day she was fine. She had her job, which she loved. She socialized with the other teachers who were from all over the world, and because she was the only one who spoke enough Italian to not starve, she invariably became the interpreter for everything from shopping for groceries to buying drinks at the local bar. She also lived with two of the teachers, Marcus from Australia and Kerry from England. For the most part she enjoyed her life and she tried her best to forget about the heartache.

But it was the nights that she found hard to get through. She had stayed with Steve for quite a while and not having him close by, especially at night felt strange. For someone who at first had found it annoying to share her bed and her pillow and her covers, she missed the bed hog that he was. She smiled as she remembered the times she would have to pull her pillow away from him and shove him away, he would then growl in his sleep that with him around she didn't need a cover, then put his arm under her head like a pillow.

The smile then turned to a frown. She consciously tried not to think about him, but somehow, something would remind her of him and all her hard work would go out the window.

Lately she had been having this dream where she would see Steve dressed in his Kevlar vest pointing a gun at someone, his expression serious but not one she had seen on him before. He looked distraught and upset, not cool and calm like he did when he was working. She knew his face because she had seen it while working on Alisha and Jack's case. And then she would see a hand holding a gun behind his head.

She would normally wake up at that bit. Not knowing what had happened to him.

The first night she had had that dream she had broken her rules and called Danny. She had asked how Steve was and when he told her he was fine, she had breathed a sigh of relief. He had tried to question her about her whereabouts, but she had refused to tell him. If he really needed to know they could trace the call.

But those dreams did not end. Every night the same dream would wake her and she would be in cold sweats. She feared that it was a premonition, even though she had never experienced anything like it before. However she remembered her mother saying that in their family at times of stress there had been instances where the girls had such dreams. At the time she had thought it was a load of crap, but now she couldn't help but feel like it may just be true.

It was true that Sarah was going through a stressful time, she had after all moved from one continent to another, left a life she loved, the guy she loved and parents she loved behind to start a brand new life. On top of everything she had discovered a month ago that she was pregnant.

At first she had been shocked and in denial. How was she supposed to take care of a baby when she felt like a kid herself? She had just started working, how was she going to manage financially? There were so many questions flying around in her head, but none of them helped the situation.

Slowly the idea of having a baby grew on her. She had never thought she was the kind of girl who craved having kids. She liked them, she adored her cousins' kids and babies, but had never been desperate, mostly because she was young and had thought she would have years before she would plan for a family, and preferably when she was married.

But now that she had had a month to get used to the idea, she liked it. She would manage, after all she had a good job that paid well, it was a permanent one complete with all the benefits, so she didn't have to worry about finances that much. Besides, there were plenty of single mothers who managed perfectly.

The only thing that worried her now was telling everyone. By that she meant her parents and Steve. Her parents would be disappointed, not because she was pregnant but because she was single. Her parents were both old fashioned, her Italian father and Indian mother were more similar than one would think.

The other problem was telling Steve. And she knew she would have to because she always believed that a man had the right to know when he was going to be a father, no matter what relationship he had with the mother. In this case, there was no longer a relationship, and she could not envision one after their last encounter.

She still loved him, but she could never again trust him. If Steve had ever loved her, he would give her a chance to defend herself. He had shown more consideration to suspects, than he had her. And that was the part that hurt.

She understood that he would be upset about her father's link to the man who had killed Steve's parents, but he had jumped to conclusions straight away. He accused her without talking to her about it.

She was in a real pickle with this whole baby thing. She just had to find a way to tell him, then leave the decision to him whether he wanted to be part of the baby's life or not. She would not expect anything from him, she was self-sufficient and she discovered she liked it this way.

-X-

Steve was not having a good day. It was actually one of THE worst days of his life.

To start off, Laura Hills had been killed in a car bomb, his name had come up in the investigation and the only witness who could clear his name had been killed.

Now he was literally on the run. He had never thought the day would come where he would be a fugitive on the run with a warrant out on him. That too for murder.

He already suspected the Governor and knew he would have a hard time getting out of this mess. The only way he could prove himself innocent was to not let himself be caught. At this point his sole purpose was for the police to not catch him.

He headed home, his mind so occupied he had no idea how he had reached there. He quickly got the keys to his dad's car and headed to the only person who he knew could help him get some weapons – Kamekona.

Once he loaded up, he knew he had to do one more thing before he went after the source of all this trouble.

Sarah had been on his mind from the day he had met her. In spite of everything, he could not forget her. He now knew that she had nothing to do with anything, she was just a coincidence that had walked into his life and made it so much better. And then like a fool he had thrown all of it away, all because of panic and suspicion that had taken over his life.

Her father Sal had actually come to visit him. He had explained everything, his involvement with the mob, the fact that he had kept it a secret from his children. Only his wife had known.

"I am not here to ask you to take Sarah back. She is quite head strong and I know she would rather eat dirt than want what I am doing now" Sal had looked old beyond his years, "All I want is that you should know, she had nothing to do with Wo Fat. You both meeting was just coincidence or destiny, whatever you want to believe, but it was nothing sinister".

"Why shouldn't I arrest you?" Steve had asked.

"As soon as I leave from here I am going back to New York to hand myself in. I need to make things right for my kids".

Sal had left then and Steve had kept tabs on him. Sal had actually surrendered and was currently being held for trial.

Steve found himself outside Jay's house. He knew Sarah would be with her brother, and he had to see her before the shit hit the fan. He had to make things right with her and make sure she was safe.

He knocked on the door, waited a second and when there was no answer he knocked again. Just as he was about to turn and leave the door opened, Jay standing tall and dark glaring at him.

"What the fuck do you want, McGarrett?"

"Look I don't have time, all I want is to see Sarah" before he knew what was happening, Jay came forward and punched Steve hard in the jaw. "Okay I deserved that".

"You deserve more, but I don't want to ruin the pretty face my sister loves so much" Jay looked furious and Steve had to concede a respect for this man.

"Can I see her? I need to make things right with her and I need to make sure she and you guys are safe".

"What do you mean safe? Are you in trouble?" Jay asked him.

"You could say that, I have a warrant out against me and I need to not get caught to prove that I am innocent" he explained the whole situation with Wo Fat. "Look I don't have time, I need to make sure she gets away from here and to see her".

"You can't see her because she isn't here. She left for Europe about two months ago and has no plans to come back" Jay almost looked sympathetic. "So she is as protected as she is going to get".

The first thought through Steve's head was relief that she was far away from all this. "So, you going to tell me where she is?"

"Not particularly. Not even my parents know where she is. She said she needed to get away from everything. So I am going to respect her wishes", Jay pulled out his wallet and his card, "Look if you need any help just call me. I know a few great defense lawyers".

Steve took the card hoping it wouldn't come to that, "Thanks, and if she calls just tell her I am sorry". He turned and ran to his car.

His next stop was the Governor.

-X-

Sarah had just come out of a class, it was ten in the morning and the sun was shining. It was a beautiful day and she was determined to make it a good day for herself as well. She smiled as she felt the sun hit her face and repeated her mantra, "Everyday is beautiful and it is up to me to keep it that way".

Her doctor had told her that since it was her first pregnancy, she needed to be careful, not too much stress. And she really appreciated her housemates, who made things comfortable for her. Kerry would always make sure she had her saltine crackers in the morning with black tea, and Marcus would always pick her up or drop her off wherever she needed to go, since he was the only one with a car and refused to let her use public transport. He had told her that he was from a large family and was the only brother with six sisters and they all had babies, so he had enough experience and if she needed anything she could depend on him.

It felt nice to have such great friends, although she had known them only a little while. The fact that they were so helpful showed that they were great people. Having said that Sarah was a bit wary of getting too close to them after what had happened with Jack and Alisha.

She still spoke to Alisha from time to time, who had moved back to L.A. She had no intention of returning to Hawaii and Sarah couldn't blame her. In fact Sarah had told her that if she needed to get away, she cold always come to Rome and stay with her for some time.

As she walked down the piazza, her phone buzzed since it was on silent. She looked at the number but it was blocked, so she answered it, "Ciao?"

"Sarah? Its Danny"

Sarah hesitated a little, why would Danny be calling her? "Hi Danny, how are you? How are Grace and Rachel?"

She heard a lot of background noise but couldn't make out what it was, "Yeah they're fine. Listen I need to tell you something" he hesitated and Sarah's heart beat faster, "Steve is in trouble".

"Oh my God! How bad is he hurt? And don't lie to me and tell me he will be fine. You wouldn't have called otherwise" she had to sit down, her knees were weak.

"He just got tazered a little but that's not the trouble he's in. He has been arrested for the murder of the Governor and her aide".

Sarah couldn't believe the words that Danny was saying, "You can't be serious. Why would Steve kill the Governor? She is the one who gave him the task force to run" She could feel nausea coming up, "Danny there has to be some mistake".

"Hell yeah there is a mistake. He is being framed by the Governor and Wo Fat".

"But I thought you just said the Governor is dead. How could she frame him?"

"Listen Sarah, it's a rather long story and I don't have time to explain things right now. Do you think you could come back? I know you're in Rome and it's not a quick flight, but I wouldn't be calling if he didn't need you".

Without any hesitation Sarah replied, "I'll be on the next flight I can get. I'll let you know which one, just text me your number".

As soon as Sarah disconnected her call she rushed back into the language school. Lucky for her, the Assistant Principle was in and she told her there had been a death in the family. She was hesitant at first, but something in Sarah's expression must have given away her desperation, so she was told that her job was going to be open for at least two months and not more. She would have to take leave without pay as she had just started. It would be financially hard, but what could she do? At least she knew she could come back and get her job back.

Next she called the airline and booked an open ticket, since she didn't know what date she would be coming back. Then headed back home and started to pack. While she was packing she called Marcus and asked him if he could give her a lift to the airport, which he readily agreed to.

The time flew and the next thing she knew she was on the flight headed for Hawaii. Throughout the flight she felt queasy and was unable to eat or sleep properly. Her mind was constantly filled with thoughts of Steve.

When she had called Danny, he had filled her in on the entire situation, including Kono's arrest. Poor thing, she was just starting out and already had to contend with a stigma of being a dirty cop. And to top it all off, she was Chin's cousin. Although Danny had sounded pissed off when he said that Chin had become a Lieutenant in HPD and had been the one to arrest Steve.

"Danny, I am sure Chin has his reasons. He is not the kind of man who would betray his friends. After the relationship he had with Steve's dad. I really think he is working with HPD so he can help them".

"I don't know. At the moment I am hanging by a thread, I even forgot to mention this to Rachel and she and Grace have left for Jersey without me. I don't know how I am going to make up for that fucking mistake".

Sarah could hear the distress in his voice, he had no one for support at the moment, "Listen, as soon as I am there, you go to Jersey and be with Rachel and Grace". Then she remembered that Danny had told her earlier Rachel was pregnant as well, "And Danny? I didn't congratulate you on becoming a dad".

He laughed a little, "Thanks sweetie. That's about the only thing that's keeping me going".

Sarah had to agree. Steve and their baby were the only things keeping her sane at the moment as well.


	16. Chapter 16

_**I hope you all liked the last one. I was a little skeptical about getting Sarah preggers, but I have this idea of adding another dimension to the story. **_

_**Since the season has ended and I do not want to go off on another tangent of my own, I will be ending this story here. But don't despair, I will be writing a sequel which I will start at the start of the second season so I know what is going to happen to Steve. **_

_**So here is the final installment in this story – Enjoy!**_

**Chapter Sixteen**

Danny waited at the arrivals gate for Sarah. The foremost thought in his mind was Rachel and Grace and whether or not he had made a mistake in getting Sarah to come, leaving the safety of Rome.

But then Jenna had pointed out that Wo Fat's aim was to get Steve in prison and if something happened to Sarah, Steve's involvement would be in doubt, therefore rendering Wo Fat's plans on shaky ground. Danny breathed a sigh of relief. She was right, with Steve in prison, Wo Fat had accomplished the task to get him out of his hair for a while.

Then he spotted her. She looked tired, and run down. Poor thing had probably taken the first flight she could. She looked like herself though, which was good. She didn't look as if she were depressed, but he knew her well enough to be certain that she would not have come back if she didn't love Steve.

"Hello there, weary traveler" Danny approached her and gave her a big hug. "It's good to see you, squirt".

"Look who's talking", she laughed slightly as she returned his hug. Her smile them turned serious, "Is it a good idea for me to see him?"

Danny looked down at her thoughtfully, "I think we should take you home first. You rest a while and then if I think its safe for you to go see him, I will take you".

Her expression was worried, "How is he doing? And how is Kono?"

"I saw him yesterday and he's doing fine. His brain is working away and we're trying to figure out the best option. Your brother's friend is one of the lawyers unofficially, he's only advising" Danny could make out she was trying to keep it together somehow. "As for Kono, poor kid is terrified but trying not to show it. She will most probably be able to make bail".

"What about Steve?"

"His bail has been rejected. Apparently he's a flight risk, being a SEAL he has too many contacts".

"Oh God this is bullshit".

"I know now we just have to be patient".

"Have you called Mary?" She asked as they get into his car.

"Yeah she comes in tomorrow" he got onto the freeway, "You want to stay at Steve's or your brothers?"

"I think it would be better if I staid with my brother".

"I'm going to see Steve after I drop you, any message?"

"No I'll talk to him when I see him".

He dropped Sarah off after a hug goodbye, "I'll call tonight about whether you can visit Steve soon. I'll have to speak to his lawyer".

"Thanks Danny. You didn't have to do this".

"You kidding? You're Steve's girl, it's the least I can do" he kissed her on the forehead, "Get some rest, you look like crap".

"Gee thanks for that" she laughed as she headed for the front door, her brother had opened the front door by now.

"Anytime, sweetie".

-X-

It had been a week since Sarah had been back in Hawaii, and it was getting harder hiding her pregnancy from her brother. She had a feeling that Loraine, her sister – in – law had figured it out, but had not said anything. And she was getting increasingly antsy because she had not told anybody, and she was dying to tell SOMEBODY!

But right now the reason she was nervous was because she was on her way to the maximum-security prison where Steve was being held. She had never been to prison. Suddenly guilt washed over her, she had not yet gone to see her father, who thankfully was out on bail.

"You okay? You look a little green" Danny said beside her.

She looked at him and smiled, hoping he hadn't noticed that she was feeling nauseous, "I'm fine. Just nervous. Did you tell him I'm coming?" When Danny didn't answer immediately she got worried, "Danny, did you tell Steve I was coming?"

"No! I thought it would better if he didn't know. He didn't want Mary to come, but when she went anyway, I could tell it did him good. Which is why, I didn't tell him. He'll rant and rave at first, but he will be happy to see you".

They reached a giant squat grey and drab building with high walls topped with barbed wire. It was a very intimidating place and she felt nervous just walking in, she could only imagine what it would be like being imprisoned in a place like this. She didn't have much time to think, because soon they were being processed for the visit, her handbag was taken from her, and an officer patted her down.

Then they were led into a drab room with stools set in booths with a phone and glass looking in on another room similarly set up. She sat at one of the stools and Danny stood behind her; he squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. Sarah took a deep breath as the door opened, and in walked Steve. The breath left her body and her hands started to shake. Her heart beat faster because she was seeing him after so long, but more than that she had to fight the tears that were filling her eyes.

He was led into the room by a guard holding his arm, dressed in an orange overall, both his hands cuffed in front of him and attached to a chain around his waist. His hair was longer than she had ever seen it, touching his collar, and his stubble was heavier than usual, as if he hadn't shaved in a week or so. He also sported a bruise on his cheek and a black eye. To anyone else he may look like he fit in with his rough surroundings. But to her he still looked beautiful, if run down. She was relieved to see that he looked healthy; the bruises did worry her though. That could only mean that he had been in a fight, and God only knows whom with. It was luckily only bruises and nothing worse.

Steve hadn't noticed her at first; only Danny and he smiled as he saw him. But when he saw Sarah his smile faded away, and her heart plummeted. He was not at all happy to see her. She flinched as she saw the guard shove him toward the stool, then left. He took the phone off the hook and looked directly at her, no expression in his eyes. She hardened her heart, took a deep breath and picked up the phone.

"What are you doing here?" was the first thing that came out of his mouth. Ungrateful wretch!

"Well I'm fine thank you. How are you?" she nonchalantly answered him.

"Just dandy sweetie", the phone was snatched from Sarah's hand.

"Will you two stop behaving like a bunch of pompous idiots?" Danny handed the phone back to her.

Sarah decided to drop the cold act, she couldn't do it, "Steve how are you really?"

His expression softened and he closed his eyes, "I'm doing okay, baby", just hearing him call her 'baby' made the tears she had been fighting flow down her cheeks, "I'm really okay, don't worry about the bruises, you know I can take care of myself".

She quickly wiped her eyes, "I know you are he-man ninja guy". They both laughed at that, "I just don't like seeing you like this".

He smiled roguishly at her; "C'mon baby, I look like the bad boy I was hiding deep down inside me all along" he winked at her trying to make her laugh. And Sarah fell in love with him all over again. "How are you doing? You look tired" he asked her.

She was tempted to tell him the truth behind her tired appearance, that he was going to be a dad, but she just couldn't bring herself to. She didn't want to distract him from what he needed to do to prove his innocence.

"I'm fine, just jetlagged. I got in last week and I'm still not used to the time difference" she waved it away.

Steve smiled at her, "I hope you're staying with Jay. I don't want anyone staying at my house just in case. I even told Mary to stay somewhere else".

"Yeah that makes sense. Do you need me to get you something next time I come?" before he opened his mouth she interrupted him, "And don't tell me I cannot come again, because I won't listen".

He looked sheepishly at her, "So what does this mean for us? Are you ready to forgive me for what I did to you?"

She sighed, "Look Steve, I may have forgiven you but I am not ready to start off where we left off either", his face became expressionless, "And its not because you're here".

"Then what is it?" he asked a little harshly.

"I find it hard to trust you, Steve. You accused me without giving me a chance to defend myself, and never once did you apologize. You still haven't" she could see the guilt on his face and she felt awful.

"I'm sorry. And not only for jumping to conclusions, I'm sorry for not contacting you later" he put his hand against the glass, "I just want you to know that no matter how long it takes you to trust me again, I will always want to be with you". He looked around helplessly, "When I get out, we can figure things out".

"Yes, we'll figure it out", she was dying to tell him about her pregnancy. Just then the guard appeared behind Steve, announcing their time was up. Danny quickly had a word with him, but all the while Steve's eyes were on her and they kept their hands on the glass.

Danny quickly pressed the phone to her ear, "I'll see you soon baby. I love you".

"I love you too Steve. Take care, okay?" the guard came and roughly pulled Steve toward the door. She waived to him as he was led away and said a silent prayer for God to protect him.

-X-

Steve lay in his bunk trying his best not to go stir crazy in this solitary cell. At least he didn't have to deal with another inmate. As it is half the inmates here hated the sight of him, they had after all heard of who he was and most of them were out to get him. Surprisingly Sang Men was not exactly an ally, but he wasn't an enemy either. It was a status quo on that relationship.

Then an image of Sarah earlier in the day came to him. She was the last person he was expecting. He had only one visitor per week and he thought it might be Mary, since the week before it had been Danny. But when he had seen Sarah, his breath had seized in his chest at the sight of her.

She looked tired but amazing as always, although not as dressed up as she normally was. She had dressed only in a pair of jeans, a white t – shirt and a leather jacket. She had dark circles under her eyes and she looked as if tiredness was not the only reason why she looked so run down. He just hoped that it was only stress and that she wasn't unwell.

At this point he was glad that she had come back from Rome, which could only mean that she still wanted to be with him, despite his idiotic behavior. He knew that for her to start their relationship again, he would really have to grovel once he got out. And grovel he would.

He looked at the four walls closing in on him, "I need to get out of here, but I have no idea how".

-X-

Sarah was having lunch with Mary. They had become like a support system for each other. Sarah was glad that Mary had become a close friend, even though the only thing in common they had with each other was Steve. But slowly they were becoming closer.

As they sat at a beachside restaurant, a waiter came to take their order. Mary ordered a beer along with her lunch while she just ordered orange juice with hers.

Mary gave her a look, "This is the third time we've been out and you haven't ordered alcohol, and you're staying away from meat. What's going on?"

"I'm just not that fond of drinking, and I'm trying to improve my diet" Sarah hoped the excuse worked.

"Oh come on. I have seen you down an entire bottle of wine so you cant tell me you don't like drinking. Seriously are you okay? The last time and today when I came to pick you up you were in your bathroom throwing up" Mary gave her a concerned look.

Sarah couldn't take it anymore, she could feel the sting of tears in her eyes, "I'm having Steve's baby" she blurted out.

For a second Mary looked stunned, then a big grin split her pretty face, "OH MY GOD!" she literally jumped out of her seat and hugged Sarah tightly, "This is amazing. This is what we need, some good news for a change. Have you told Steve yet?"

Sarah held onto Mary, "No I have told him. I don't want him to know just now. I don't want him to have the added stress of it all".

Mary looked at her, "Are you nuts? I think this will do him good. It will give him something else to look forward to when he comes out. It will give him some kind of hope".

Sarah thought about it. She had just told Jay and Loraine and even thought they were happy for her Jay had called her selfish for keeping the news to herself. He had said that if she had told their parents they would have had some happy news instead of worrying constantly. He had also pointed out that she had to tell Steve for the same reason. She was being selfish to think that her news would bring added stress, she was a coward and didn't want to take the risk of getting hurt from Steve again. And when she had mentioned this to Jay, who unbeknownst to her had been visiting Steve in prison since he was in there, said that Steve would more than likely welcome the news.

"I'm just so scared. What if he doesn't want it?"

"Then he's an idiot. I'll beat the crap out of him" Mary reassured her with a smile, "He will be so happy Sarah. This is what we need, a family. We haven't had one in so long" She had tears in her eyes and Sarah hugged her, "Please tell him and when he asks you to marry him say yes" she laughed a little.

"Okay, the next time I see him I will tell him. It will be such a relief to tell him".

-X-

Steve was led into the visiting room, not knowing who was coming to see him, except when it was his lawyer. He was pleasantly surprised this time when he saw Mary, Danny and Sarah. He smiled at them and winked at Sarah, who smiled back at him. He noticed she looked a little stressed, he just hoped it was nothing to worry about. She looked great as usual in a pair of jeans and black t – shirt and what looked like a tweed waist coat, her hair in a haphazard ponytail, her wayfarer glasses perched on her nose, and the only jewelry she wore was a long silver chain with a turquoise stone pendent.

He sat in the booth and picked up the phone, on the other side so did Sarah, "Steve are you doing okay?" came her breathy question, she sounded out of breath and nervous, as if she was hyperventilating.

"Hi baby, I'm doing fine as you can see, no bruises this time. How are you doing?" she didn't reply immediately, and looked at Mary nervously, Steve started to panic when his sister put her hand on Sarah's shoulder, "What's going on?"

"Steve I have to tell you something" again she paused and took a deep breath, "I'm pregnant Steve".

He felt as if someone had punched him in the gut, "Is it mine" he could hear the words coming out of his mouth and as soon as they came out he wanted to kick himself where it hurt the most.

He watched as before he could apologize, Sarah's eyes turned cold with anger and something else he couldn't tell, "You asshole!" she swore at him, slammed the phone down and walked out of the visiting room, leaving a stunned Mary and Danny looking on.

It took a moment before Danny ran out after Sarah and Mary took the phone, looking pissed off as hell, "What the fuck did you say to her?"

"Mary I was stupid enough to ask if the baby was mine".

"God, you are such an asshole. And I am to blame because I am the one who convinced her that you should know. That this would be good new for us, another McGarrett. A chance for us to build a family" Mary had tears in her eyes and Steve felt guilt wash over him. "She didn't want to tell you because she was worried and didn't want to add on the stress. You don't deserve that girl".

"I'm sorry sis. I will make it up to both you and Sarah as soon as I get out" he knew that was not adequate. He had to grovel even more now. Not just for Sarah and his baby's sake but also for his sister. He hadn't realized until now how much she needed a stable family environment.

"You better Steve. This is a chance for us to rebuild everything we have lost. You have to take it".

He looked at his sister, "I promise you Mary, I will make everything right when I get out. With you, with Sarah and my baby. How is she doing? Is she okay?"

Mary smiled then and pulled out something, it looked like a picture, held it up to the glass, "We went for the first ultrasound yesterday. It's still too early to tell the sex, but knowing you it will probably be a macho McGarrett".

He looked at the grainy ultrasound picture and couldn't make out much other than a lump, "Am I a bad father than I can't make out anything in this" he was squinting his eyes best to see something.

Mary laughed, "If that's the case, then both of you will be awful parents. Sarah kept losing the spot that the doctor pointed out was the baby. Finally out of embarrassment she lied and said she could see it when actually she couldn't. Even in the picture she cannot make it out".

He laughed at that, "Mary you have to tell her I'm sorry".

"Okay, fine. I will tell her but you need to think of ways of effective groveling on your knees".

Soon the time was over, "Can you leave that picture with the guard?" Steve asked.

"Sure, that's why I brought it".

Once Mary left, Steve wished he had not said what he did to Sarah; they could have looked at the ultrasound picture together and tried to help each other find their dot baby.

Mary was right. This chance was like a gift from fate. It was a chance for them to become a family again, to heal and not always have to think about the bad times, the loss of their parents. It was something to be celebrated and he had Sarah to thank for. And when he got out he had some serious apologizing to do, on his knees.

A little voice niggled in his head, "What if this is taken away from you as well?"

At this point, not knowing his own fate, he could only hope. He looked down at the ultrasound picture he had been given. He would get out of this place so he could be with Sarah, his baby, Mary, Danno, Kono and Chin. His family.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hi to all those who followed "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" Story, I have started the next part which is titled "I Wanna Hold Your Hand Part II".**

**This is the sequel and starts with the Season 2 premier.**

**Hope you all enjoy!**

**I once again want to thank all those who read as well as reviewed the story.**


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